All licensed foster parents are required to have ongoing yearly training. When a foster care license is issued, the licensing worker and caseworker will work with the family to develop an Individual Training Plan (ITP) by discussing with the family what training is most beneficial to meeting the needs of the child or children in the home. Foster families must complete the training outlined on the Individual Training Plan (ITP) before the end of that licensing year in order to comply with licensing requirements. Upon renewal of the foster care license, a new Individual Training Plan (ITP) will be developed keeping in mind the needs of the child or children being cared for, the foster parent’s training needs, as well as their previous experience and trainings.
Training is required because it helps the foster parent:
Gain appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of children in care and thus help children succeed,
Provide for the special needs of children entering foster care as they are more likely to have
developmental, emotional, and physical problems,
Obtain an understanding of the foster care licensing and child protection systems.
For the first year of licensure, the Individual Training Plan (ITP) will most likely require foster parents complete Core Training for Resource Families or Core Training for Relative Caregivers. Core Training provides:
A better understanding of the child protective process,
Your role as a foster parent,
The special needs of children in foster care,
Information about trauma informed caregiving.
The Alaska Center for Resource Families (ACRF) is the grantee of the Office of Children’s Services and provides many trainings, including Core Training, as well as referral services, individual family support, and information to resource families at no charge to you. Trainings are also available to prospective adoptive and guardianship parents and they are encouraged to participate. ACRF offers a variety of training methods including online web-based, telephonic, and self-study materials such as books, videos, and paper packets, available through our website or mailed free of charge.
ACRF also works in partnership with other community-based and Tribal partners in order to enhance training and services available to resource families. This may include co-sponsoring trainings, sharing resource materials, assisting with support groups and mentoring services for resource families.
Training can be obtained outside of ACRF such as OCS trainings, community or university classes, workshops, and conferences. Trainings taken outside of ACRF must be documented by submitting an Alternative Training Information Sheet which can be found on ACRF’s website.
Regardless of where trainings are taken, all must match the identified topics on the Individual Training Plan (ITP) to count toward your licensure requirements. ACRF maintains the database of completed trainings and reports them to licensing representatives on a quarterly basis. ACRF offices are located in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Mat-Su.
ACRF contact:
Toll-free number: 1-800-478-7307
Website: www.acrf.org
Email: acrf@nwresource.org