WILMINGTON — The Clinton County Child Protection Unit is seeking foster and adoptive parents.

A person seeking certification to operate a family foster/adoptive home must complete a minimum of 36 hours of pre-placement training.

The following training is state certified through the State of Ohio and is held at the Clinton County Community Services Building, Community Room A & B at 1025 S. South St., Wilmington. There is no cost to the classes.

For registration please contact Lisa Massie at 937-382-5935, ext. 1313, or at [email protected].

Round Three (Saturdays)

Aug. 12, 19, 26; Sept. 9, 16, 23

Class is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour lunch from noon to 1 p.m.

901-PS1-S: Orientation to Foster Care, Kinship Care, and Adoption

This workshop provides an overview of the child welfare system and examines the differences between foster care, adoption, and kinship care. Participants receive information about the needs of waiting children as well as the process of becoming a caregiver.

902-PS2-S: The Child Protection Team

This workshop discusses the history of foster care, kinship care, and adoption and examines the role of the foster/ adoptive/ kinship caregiver within that system. Information is shared about the effective use of teams to serve children.

903-PS3-S: Child Development

This workshop introduces the core concepts of early childhood development. Participants receive an overview of brain development and gain an awareness of the importance of attachment, self-regulations, and initiative to child development. Factors that enhance development are also addressed.

904-PS4-S: Trauma and Its Effects

This workshop helps participants understand how childhood trauma can effect development, including brain development, as well as emotions and behavior

905-PS5-S: Child Sexual Abuse

This workshop provides an overview of child sexual abuse and is designed to help prospective caregivers and adoptive parents understand basic facts about child sexual abuse, recognize potential indicators of sexual abuse, and take beginning steps to making their homes safe environments for children who have been sexually abused.

906-PS6-S: Minimizing the Trauma of Placement

This workshop addresses strategies caregivers and adoptive parents can use to help the child feel safe and accepted in their home and community. The importance of gathering background information and maintaining connections is stressed.

907-PS7-S: Transcending Differences In Placement

This workshop helps participants gain awareness of their own diversity in order to better understand the diversity of each child that comes into their home. Participants also consider ways they can prepare their home and community to welcome and provide a safe and nurturing environment for a child.

908-PS8-S: Helping the Child Manage Emotions and Behaviors

This workshop introduces foster and kinship caregivers and adoptive parents to strategies they can use to assist children in learning to manage their emotions and control their behaviors.

903-PS9-S: Understanding Primary Families

This workshop presents a rationale for involvement of foster and kinship caregivers and adoptive parents in promoting connections to primary family members, particularly primary parents and siblings. The training encourages a non-judgmental approach to the caregiver’s or parent’s work with primary families to promote reunificiation.

906-PS10-S: The Effects of Caregiving on the Caregiver Family

This workshop examines the impact of foster care/ adoption/ kinship care on the family system as well as the impact on their relationships with one another. Participants are introduced to effective coping strategies to prevent burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

909-PS11-S: Long-Term Separation

This workshop describes the emotions children experience when reunification efforts with the birth parents fail. Feelings of adopted children and children in long-term substitute care placements are explored. Participants will learn about typical triggers of long-term grief.

909-PS12-S: Post Adoption Issues for Families

This workshop describes adoptions dynamics impacting families. Openness in adoption is addressed as well as stages of adjustment for new adoptive families. Post adoption services including subsidy are also discussed in this module.