In Utah, each prospective foster/adoptive family is required to participate in standardized training before becoming licensed. This is called “pre-service training” and can take as little as a month to complete. Pre-service training consists of Classroom and Self-Guided components. Completion of this training is required for licensing. Professional trainers will provide insights into the fostering experience, situations you may encounter, potential solutions to typical problems, and many other topics concerning foster care.
Let's Talk Training...
Classes Cover the Following Topics:
- Reunification
- Child Development
- Trauma/Sexual Abuse
- Effective Communication
- Cultural Humility
- Attachment
- Grief and Loss
- Mental Health
- Maintaining Connections
Helpful Resources
- NTDC Pre-Service Manual [PDF]
- DCFS Practice Guidelines [PDF]
- Office of Licensing [Website]
- Code of Conduct – Office of Licensing [PDF]
- Home Safety Checklist – Office of Licensing [PDF]
- Office of Licensing Rule [PDF]
- Binti Software – Office of Licensing [Website]
Principles and Perspectives
- Child Development & Parenting Perspectives | 17 min
- Culture & the Foster Family | 13 min
- Working with Primary Families | 17 min
- Trauma: A Compassion-Driven Approach | 14 min
- Self-Care: What I Wish I Had Known | 17 min
- Effective Discipline: A Trauma-Informed Approach | 23 min
- ReMoved (Movie Short): On Grief, Loss, & Attachment | 13 min
- TBRI®: Trust-Based Relational Intervention | 3 min
Knowing is Half the Battle
One of the most common questions we hear is “do you have any training for the kids already in our home?” We are so happy to finally say, “YES!” This brief training course is designed for kids from 8 to 15, though younger children may still benefit-especially if you participate with them. The course is designed, after extensive consultation with foster parents and their children, to address some of the most common issues that arise when a family begins fostering. We hope it will begin an on-going conversation between parents and kids about the joys and challenges of providing foster care. A special thank you to the IDET program at the University of Utah, specifically Jamie Shaw, Preston Lindhart, Kailey Stayner, and Keriann Haycock who created this training.
