Orientation
Orientation is a scheduled informative session aimed at providing prospective resource families with the information necessary in becoming licensed foster and adoptive parents. Orientation sessions are conductive in group at Harvest of Hope locations, other site locations as well as at the home of prospective applicants.
Training (PRIDE)
Whether you are applying to become a foster or adoptive parent or are a relative caring for a child, you are required to attend training to become a licensed resource parent. This training is called PRIDE - Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education. PRIDE has three major training components:
Training is designed to teach knowledge and skills in five essential competency categories:
- Protecting and nurturing children
- Meeting children's developmental needs and addressing developmental delays
- Supporting relationships between children and their families
- Connecting children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime
- Working as a member of a professional team
It is the belief that protecting and nurturing children at risk and strengthening all their families (birth, foster or adoptive) requires teamwork among individuals with diverse knowledge and skills, but all working from a shared vision and toward a common goal. Foster and adoptive parents are essential members of this team. They, like caseworkers, require preparation and training to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be effective members of the professional team.
All potential Resource Families complete PRIDE Pre-Service training.
The PRIDE Pre-service is a program for recruiting, preparing, assessing and selecting prospective foster and adoptive families. The PRIDE program is designed to strengthen the quality of family foster care and adoption services by providing a standardized, consistent and structured framework for the competency-based recruitment, preparation and selection of foster and adoptive parents. This program offers a competency-based, integrated approach to recruitment, family assessment, and pre-service training. Through a series of at-home consultations and competency-based training sessions, prospective families have an opportunity to learn and practice the knowledge and skills they will need as new foster and adoptive parents. The readiness of families to foster or adopt is assessed in the context of their ability and willingness to meet the essential competencies.
This training is offered in nine three-hour sessions or four six-hour sessions which include:
Session One: Connecting with PRIDE
Session Two: Teamwork Towards Permanency
Session Three: Meeting Developmental Needs: Attachment
Session Four: Meeting Developmental Needs: Loss
Session Five: Strengthening Family Relationships
Session Six: Meeting Developmental Needs: Discipline
Session Seven: Continuing Family Relationships
Session Eight: Planning for Change
Session Nine: Making an Informed Decision: Taking PRIDE
