Foster Parents are required to maintain a certain number of training hours in order to keep their licenses, and ALL parents can use additional tools to care for the children in their homes. MFCAA provides two great resources for parent training.
Monthly Training Calendar:
All Training sessions are held at Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, in the Dining Hall (the left side of the driveway). Childcare is available during training, for children over 3 yrs. If you have questions about training, please email Justin.
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January |
February 1st/6:30p DR. WALT BOULDEN/ ACCOMMODATION OF DIVERSITY IN SEXUAL IDENTITY This course will focus on ways that parents can show respect and support towards children who may identify themselves as being part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered community. School and community issues associated with this population will also be addressed. |
March 7th/6:30p JOE BECK/ HANDLING STRESS This course will focus on dealing with the stress that comes along with being a parent, and ways to manage it in a healthy way. A focus will also be on recognizing the stresses that our children may encounter and ways that we can help manage strains of daily living. |
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April 4th/6:30p KEALEY WILLIAMS/ BULLYING Many kids are impacted by bullying in many aspects of their life experience. This course will focus on how parents can help a child who is being bullied and what to do with a child who is a bully to others. |
June 6th/6:30p DR. ROSALYN BERTRUM/ ENGAGING FAMILIES This course will focus on the strengths perspective and understanding the process of the family life cycle. Foster parents will be encouraged to consider the stage specific tasks that the biological family is addressing , how strengths & constraints may emerge around addressing those tasks, and how it compares with their own family and the foster kids they are taking care of. Additionally, this course will focus on understanding Minuchin, Minuchin & Colapinto's model for engaging foster families with biological parents. |
July 11th/6:30p GARY ENDRES/ COMMUNICATION WITH TEENAGERS Adolescents are often hard to understand, and communication is often absent in the relationship between a teenager in foster care and his/her foster parent. This course will help open the lines of effective communication so that better relationships can be developed with our youth. |
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August 1st/6:30p RHONDA WEIMER/ HOW WE LABEL Within the field of mental health, it is often easier to label a person as their diagnosis instead of as the unique individual that they are. This course will focus on looking beyond the labels that our foster children may have, and treating them in a manner that shows respect and dignity while still being able to understand a diagnosis a child may have. |
September 5th/6:30p SUSAN PEACH/ DEALING WITH GRIEF, LOSS AND SEPARATION Many children within the foster/adoptive care community may be dealing with the issues surrounding the loss of a parent, sibling, or loved one through either separation within the foster/adoptive care system or death. This training will help parents know how to help their children grieve in a healthy manner. Additionally, foster parents will learn ways to cope with personal loss that may be experienced through a foster child leaving their home. |
October 3rd/6:30p JOE BECK/ KIDS THAT HAVE TROUBLE WITH ATTENTION Living with, and caring for children who have a diagnosis of ADHD or who generally have trouble with keeping attention can often be an extremely difficult task. Understanding the experience of the child and what they are going through can help a parent work towards meeting the needs of a child who requires this special attention. Behavioral and educational strategies, as well as medication options, will be covered. |
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November 7th/6:30p DANIELLE COOL EXPRESSION OF ANGER Anger can be a big problem among kids in general, but within the foster care arena, it can be even more overwhelming than normal. Helping a parent understand ways to deal with an angry child can create a healthier living experience for all involved. |
NOTE: There is no training in May or December |
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All Training sessions are held at Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, in the Dining Hall (the left side of the driveway). Childcare is available during training, for children over 3 yrs. If you have questions about training, please email Tammy.
Dinner is included and begins at 6:30p. Training sessions begin at 7p. If you plan to attend dinner, please RSVP to Tammy (816-350-0215).
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January |
February 15th/7p JERALD PAYNE/ MANAGING MANIA How families can learn to manage the signs and symptoms of mood disorders in the children we care for. Having clinical Information can help develop better strategies. |
March 21st/7p DANIELLE COOL/ SOCIAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN FOSTER CHILDREN Many foster children suffer from delays and do not develop good social skills on target. Learning where children should be can help you move them there. |
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April 18th/7p LIZ VOSTEZ/ TRANSITIONS How do you help children and parents deal with transitions? You help them understand why they are so difficult for children and adults and then you learn to plan for them. This can cover transitions from activity to activity or from placement to placement. |
June 20th/7p SUSAN PEACH/ STRUCTURING SAFETY WITH SEXUAL PERPETRATORS AND VICTIMS Helping parents understand the needs of children who have been sexually abused. Increasing the parent’s base of knowledge can help more effectively treat children and help prevent the creation of new victims. |
July 18th/7p JOE BECK/ TAKING PLACEMENTS THAT WORK All placements need to be based on the needs of the child. You cannot ignore that sometimes they don’t work because they did not consider all the children or the adults in the home. Helpful hints can help you make good placement choices for kids and families. |
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August 15th/7p KEALY WILLIAMS/ LIFE BOOKS Children often come into the system of foster care broken and confused. They leave their old life, friends, school and sometimes their whole family never to return. It is important to keep memories alive so that children can grieve loss. Keeping life books is very important. |
September 19th/7p GREY ENDRES/ SETTING BOUNDARIES It is very important to set good, safe boundaries with children. For children in foster care, it is especially important as their own boundaries may not have been safely set. As foster parents, we need to know how to set good boundaries for our foster, adopted, and biological children to ensure safety and growth. |
October 17th/7p DONDA MCLAUGLIN/ RAISING A RACIALLY CONFIDENT CHILD In today’s society, children of mixed heritage have a hard time adjusting. This is not new or exclusive to them. African American Children have some of the same difficulties when living in homes with parents that do not look like them. The presenter will offer helpful ideas to help your child be confident with their identity. |
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November 21st/7p PATRICK HICKY/ BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATIONS Most foster parents love ideas on how to modify behavior! But when you parent a child with attachment strains or RAD, it takes on new meaning. Throw out old ideas on behavior modifications and take notes for what works with attachment strained children |
NOTE: There is no training in May or December |
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Resource Library:
MFCAA has a lending library with video tapes, dvd's, cd's and books that can be checked out and used for outside training hours. Email or call Tammy at 816-350-0215.
Support Groups:
Being a foster or adoptive parent can be an incredibly fulfilling responsibility, but it is also difficult at times. One way that MFCAA works to support foster and adoptive families is by providing an opportunity for them to connect with each other and share their experiences.
Currently, MFCAA is sponsoring support groups for individuals who are new to the unique arena of Foster and Adoptive parenting. Based in a casual, laidback setting, this group is the perfect place for new foster and adoptive parents meet together, share experiences, get helpful tips or offer suggestions to help others through their new life journey. To get more information or to sign up for the groups below, please email or call Justin at 816-350-0215.
Newly Adopted Group/Boys
and Girls ages 9 and older
This group will focus on family claiming, shared experiences, and common
challenges of joining your family later in life.
Waiting for a
Family Group/Boys
and Girls ages 9 and older
This group will include peer mentors who have been adopted and who can empathize
with and encourage group members. A focus will be on preparing youth for the
possibility of a forever family.
Understanding
Adoption Group/Boys
and Girls age 6—12
This group will
focus on understanding adoption and developing strategies to manage the
experience of adoption in daily circumstances.
My Family is
Adopting Group/Boys
and Girls who are birth children
in foster/adoptive homes
This group will
focus on anticipating and developing strategies for dealing with the challenges
that accompany
adopting a child into the family.
Groups for Parents:
New Foster Parents Group
Group for all new Foster Parents
New Adoptive Parents Group
Group for all new Adoptive Parents
Respite Program:
Our respite program is designed to give foster and adoptive parents an occasional break. Because foster and adoptive parents often have 5, 6 or more children in their homes, and at least a couple of the children are likely to have special medical or behavioral needs, it can be difficult to find and afford appropriate childcare. MFCAA has a list of volunteer respite providers who have gone through appropriate training, that we can match to specific childcare needs. This service is provided at no charge to the foster/adoptive parent.
Get Respite Care for Your Children - Email or call Suzen at 816-350-0215
Find Out How To Be A Respite Care Provider - Email or call Suzen at 816-350-0215
Group Therapy:
Therapy groups for a variety of special needs (for children and adults alike) are coordinated through MFCAA, and Lifeworks Group Therapy. Click here to view current groups. Email Justin or call him at 816-350-0215, for more information.
Sexual Abuse Reactive Groups
When a child has been the victim of sexual abuse, one of the ways that they may opt to cope is through the demonstration of ‘Abuse Reactive’ behaviors. These behaviors include a variety of acting out options including subjecting other children to inappropriate touch or abuse. While this type of acting out is often seen as a ‘perpetrating’ type behavior, these kids are simply reacting to the abuse that they have suffered.
Level I
Group for Girls age 9—14
Group for Boys age 9—14
These groups will consist of age appropriate sex education, processing past abuse, taking responsibility for offensive behaviors, identifying triggers and learning new coping skills, including how to ask parents or caregivers for help.
Level II
Group for Girls age 9—14
This group will include
information built upon Level I group and admission to this group requires
successful completion of Level I group. This group will consist of identifying
sexual abuse/offense cycle, confronting grooming behaviors, and
relapse prevention plans.
MFCAA has three staff members that are here to provide support and assistance to foster and adoptive families in various settings. Some areas that we can help with include:
School Advocacy
Behavioral Interventions
Additional Service Acquisition
Advocacy with Children's Division, CASA, or GAL team members
We can also help families find appropriate service providers and get approval for those services to maintain children in placements.
Crisis Intervention:
Crisis intervention services, provided by our three Advocacy staff members in response to individual family requests for assistance, allow adoptive families to receive the one-on-one advocacy assistance and support needed to maintain placement of extremely needy children in their homes and to access much needed counseling and emergency services. This service is provided in response to a phone call or email from an adoptive family or potential adoptive family, indicating that some circumstance involving their family or the children in their home has become unmanageable without outside assistance. That assistance can be consulting via the phone or internet, in home support, attendance at meetings, and more. The demand for these services is quite high, and many more requests for assistance come in that need attention. MFCAA’s goal in relation to crisis responsiveness is to expand staff and services to reach out to rural populations on the Western side of the state.
Tammy,
Teresa and
Lori are here to help. Feel free to email them, or call them at
816-350-0215.
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MFCAA Staff:
MFCAA was created to pick up where existing agencies leave
off. If you have questions, doubts, concerns or need help that you cannot find
somewhere else, please let us know. Our Advocacy Program Managers will do their
best to answer your questions, and our Service Program Managers may be able to
find an MFCAA service that meets your need.
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