Foster parent training

The Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter is eager to support foster families throughout our area. In fact, many of these families now care for and support the children we’ve come to know personally. The NWACS aims to support foster families by providing the following:

Trauma-informed trainings at no cost
Trainings in a variety of locations in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties
Snacks and drinks (and meals when possible) to ensure a comfortable experience
Certificates of completion to foster parents for continuing education credits
Availability for contact after the date of the training for additional support and transfer of learning

The NWACS wants to ensure that families feel equipped to understand and meet the needs of children and adolescents who have experienced maltreatment, multiple placements and early trauma. We’ll also use the feedback we receive from foster families to ensure topics they request are included in future events.

Foster Parent Training Opportunities

Navigating Grief and Loss (Virtual Training Opportunity)

Thursday, March 18, 2021
6:30 – 8:00 pm
A Google Meet link will be sent in advance to the email address provided during registration.

All those involved in foster care can experience grief and loss–the children in care, birth families, foster and adoptive parents, the biological children in foster and adoptive families. Sometimes, the intensity of grief experienced by caregivers is even more profound than first anticipated. A sudden or unexpected change, particularly strong attachment to the child, or earlier bereavement are just a few situations that can make separations even more difficult.

Included in discussion:

Losses foster families may grieve (eg., transitions of children, family structure as it was, time and attention, privacy when experiencing stressors, self-esteem/feeling ineffective)
Circumstances that can influence how foster parents grieve
Types of grief, including the disenfranchised grief of foster parents (not feeling able to publicly acknowledge a loss or the loss is not fully supported by others due to an expectation of emotional detachment)
Unresolved grief and loss and its impact on caring (eg., reexperiencing, emotional distancing/unavailability) and on reunification support
How children in care and biological children may experience grief during each developmental stage (grieving behaviors in children are often misunderstood)
Developmental grief (grief that subsides and reappears at milestones like holidays, significant events, and celebrations in the birth or foster family)
Enhancing support for other families affected