Pre-service Training
Orienting Families toward Success
In Utah, each prospective foster/adoptive family is required to participate in standardized training before becoming a licensed foster parent. These 20+ hours of preparation are called “pre-service training” and can take as little as a month to complete. Pre-service training is divided up below into two categories: Classroom(currently online) and Independent. Completion of these trainings is required for licensing. Click on the section headings below for more information:
Classroom Training (Region Specific)
Our state is organized by region (combination of adjacent counties) and each region has its own meeting space and trainer. You can find your region by locating the county in which you reside. There you’ll find the contact information for your region’s trainer. Your regional trainer is eager to assist you through the training portion of the licensing process.
We may be a little biased, but our trainers are some amazing and gifted professionals who will help you understand the needs of children in foster care and your role as a foster parent. Get connected to all the latest training information by contacting your trainer:
Northern Region consists of: Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Morgan, Rich, and Weber Counties
Brian Young (801) 475-5537 brian.young@utahfostercare.org
Salt Lake Valley Region consists of: Salt Lake and Tooele Counties
Terumi Sagers (801) 699-9769 terumi.sagers@utahfostercare.org
Western Region consists of: Juab, Millard, Summit, Wasatch, and Utah Counties
Terri Rowley (801) 373-3006 terri.rowley@utahfostercare.org
Eastern Region consists of: Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, San Juan, Uintah Counties
Les Harris (435) 315-2543 les.harris@utahfostercare.org
Southwest Region consists of: Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Washington, and Wayne Counties
Denice Beacham (435) 656-8065 denice.beacham@utahfostercare.org
In response to the CDC guidelines regarding the COVID-19 virus, all trainings will be held online, with virtual meeting space for prospective foster parents. Each in-class session provides insights into the foster family experience, situations you may encounter, potential solutions to typical problems, and many other topics important for those preparing to foster or adopt through foster care.
Classes cover the following topics:
- Orientation/Team Building
- Child Development
- Trauma & Its Effects/Sexual Abuse
- Minimizing the Trauma of Placement
- Understanding Primary Families
- Managing Emotions & Behaviors/The Effects of Caregiving
- Long-term Separation/Adoption Issues for Families
- Transcending Difference in Placements
Independent Training
VITAL INFORMATION AT YOUR PACE
In addition to classroom training, there are additional videos that are required for pre-service completion. The video portion is divided into two courses. There is a quiz for each of the courses. Your regional trainer will be notified when you complete the quizzes. Please note we need a quiz from each course in each parent’s name.
COURSE 1: PRINCIPLES & PERSPECTIVES
Watch the videos below, then take quiz 1.
Pro-tip: print out the quiz and mark your answers while watching the videos—then enter and submit your responses via the web.
- 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
COURSE 2: POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Watch the videos below, then take quiz 2.
Pro-tip: print out the quiz and mark your answers while watching the videos—then enter and submit your responses via the web.
- Fostering Healthy Children | 33 Min
- Office of Licensing Rule | 35 Min
- Practice Guidelines of the Utah Division of Child & Family Services (DCFS) | 108 Min
- 1) Rights & Responsibilities | 16 Min
- 2) Incidental Care, Child Care, & Respite | 9 Min
- 3) Out-of-state Travel & Normalcy Laws | 9 Min
- 4) Emergency Situations, Allegations, & Safe-to-sleep | 11 Min
- 5) Foster Care Payments & Tax Issues | 10 Min
- 6) Advocacy, Schools, & Court | 14 Min
- 7) Foster Family Support | 19 Min
- 8) Assessment | 20 Min
If you prefer, you can watch all Course 2 videos in a row.
Knowing is half the battle.
Manuals & Other Resources
DEEPER DIVES ON FOUNDATIONAL POLICIES
- Pre-Service Manual [PDF]
- DCFS Practice Guidelines [PDF]
- DCFS Policy
- Office of Licensing
- Office of Licensing Code of Conduct [PDF]
- Office of Licensing Home Safety Checklist [PDF]
- Office of Licensing Rule [PDF]
- Office of Licensing Forms
- Educating Youth in State Care [PDF]
- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Utah Family & Children Engagement Tool [PDF]
- Child Welfare Statutory Time Requirements Report [PDF]
- A Child’s Journey Through the Child Welfare System [PDF]
Time Requirements for Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse Cases [PDF]
Training for kids too!
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 be able 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 Lindhardt, Kailey Stayner, and Kerriann Haycock who created this training.