More Kansas children are in foster care than ever before. Because of this great need, KVC Kansas is looking for more loving foster homes so these children have a safe place to call home, even if only temporarily. If you’re interested in fostering children or teens, you may have wondered, “What’s the training class like to prepare myself for taking a child into my home?” It’s a 30-hour class usually spread out over 10 weeks, with one 3-hour class per week. Another option is to complete the training in two weekends. The training is called TIPS-MAPP, which stands for Trauma Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanence – Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting. All adults who reside in the home are required to take the class.

Click here to learn more about becoming a foster parent.

Sarah Nielsen, a current KVC foster parent, said:

“After the first few classes, I realized how necessary and beneficial they are. The information-packed classes got my husband and me thinking and discussing how our family could best serve children in foster care.”

Cristin Hartranft, another foster parent said:

“We couldn’t believe we had to take weeks of classes to help these sweet children that needed a home. We have kids so couldn’t imagine what more we needed to learn. We were proved wrong after the first class. The classes helped prepare us for the trauma these kids have been through. Afterwards, we wanted more! The teachers and material were incredibly helpful!”

Children in foster care have endured traumatic stress such as abuse, neglect or witnessed violence. For most people, even experienced parents, trauma is a new concept. The children’s trauma directly affects the way they act, think, interpret (or don’t interpret) and express their own feelings. This means parenting children in foster care could look significantly different from parenting children who have not experienced trauma.

Childhood trauma is one of the biggest focuses in the TIPS-MAPP course because it enables adults to provide the what’s known as “trauma-informed care.” Trauma and its impact on a person’s brain and behaviors are discussed extensively so every potential foster or adoptive parent is equipped to help children heal and create a healthy future.

Becoming a foster parent is a big decision that requires a lot of conversation. It’s not a decision that most people make overnight or even over a few days. The weeks of training classes allow people to absorb all the material so they can process it and make an informed decision about whether foster care is right for them or not. In the same way, the leaders of the class are able to spend enough time getting to know each prospective family so they can also make an informed decision about whether the family will match KVC’s values and goals moving forward.

Click here to view upcoming training classes near you.

If you are interested in learning more about the foster/adoptive parent training classes or would like to sign up, please contact us today.