Address: Kern County Department of Human Services: Columbus Center-Orientation Room
3711 Columbus St.
Bakersfield CA 93306
Pre-Register: Call the Registration Line to (661) 631-6204
Schedule: Orientation is offered the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (only the 2nd Thursday in November and December)
Spanish Foster Care orientation is the 3rd Thursday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For more information on becoming a Resource Parent please call (661) 631-6204 or visit the Kern County Department of Human Services website.
Resource Family Approval Training is a training series for participants interested in becoming a Resource Family (Foster Parent, Relative Caretaker or Non-Related Extended Family Members). This training fulfills the Kern County Department of Human Services training requirements. The training is a 12-hour series broken into four sessions and will be offered twice a month. For further information, please contact 661-395-4991.
Pre-Register: Call the registration line at 661-395-4991.
All RFA trainings are currently being held virtually through Zoom. Once you are registered, a representative will send you the Zoom link along with more information.
Session | Date | Time | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Saturday, May 14, 2022 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. |
Valerie Tovar, MSW Becky Colaw, M.S. (Session 1 & 2) Barbara Reifel, LCSW (Session 3 & 4) |
2 | Saturday, May 14, 2022 | 1-4 p.m. | |
3 | Saturday, May 21, 2022 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | |
4 | Saturday, May 21, 2022 | 1-4 p.m. |
Session | Date | Time | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Monday, May 16, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Cherilyn Haworth-Price, MSW, LCSW Angie Valdez |
2 | Wednesday, May 18, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
3 | Monday, May 23, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
4 | Monday, May 25, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Session | Date | Time | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Saturday, June 4, 2022 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. |
Angelica Gonzalez, MSW Barbara Reifel, LCSW (Session 1& 3) Angie Valdez (Session 2 & 4) |
2 | Saturday, June 4, 2022 | 1-4 p.m. | |
3 | Saturday, June 11, 2022 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | |
4 | Saturday, June 11, 2022 | 1-4 p.m. |
Session | Date | Time | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tuesday, June 7, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Becky Colaw, M.S. Claudia Martinez, MSW, ASW (Session 1 & 2) Alejandra Torres (Session 3 & 4) |
2 | Thursday, June 9, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
3 | Tuesday, June 14, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
4 | Thursday, June 16, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Session | Date | Time | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Monday June 20, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Cherilyn Haworth-Price, MSW LCSW Jessica Macias-Cervantes, MSW, ASW |
2 | Wednesday, June 22, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
3 | Monday, June 27, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. | |
4 | Wednesday, June 29, 2022 | 6-9 p.m. |
Trainings are recommended for Resource Families, Group Home Staff, and other professionals working with children.
Resource Families will fulfill training hours for licensing.
Child Care? No. Sorry, child care is not provided.
Pre-register: Call the registration line (661)-395-4991
Walk-ins? Yes! Walk-ins are also welcome!
All trainings are currently being held virtually through Zoom. Once you have registered, a representative will send you the Zoom link along with more information.
Download the Training Schedule PDF or view and print at the webpage In-Service Training Schedule.
Date | Time | Session | Instructor |
---|---|---|---|
Thursday, May 19, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Suicide Prevention In this training we will discuss the taboos of suicide, look at the various reasons why teens attempt to commit suicide and or succeed in committing suicide. We will discuss various issues surrounding this delicate and scary subject as well as looking into the various organizations that are available to help prevent suicide or help us go thru the grieving process. |
Becky Colaw, MS Claudia Martinez, MSW, ASW |
Saturday, May 21, 2022 |
8-10 a.m. | The Value of Affirmation In this training we will talk about ways that we can affirm children and how to make this a priority. Affirmations typically refer to words being said about the child, either from someone else or through teaching the child to say those things about themselves, usually some of both. It also includes positive interactions. |
Becky Colaw, MS Cherilyn Price, MSW |
Saturday, May 21, 2022 |
10 a.m.-12 p.m. | The Whole Brain Child by Dan Siegel Dr. Dan Siegel's inspiring work gives parents tools to help kids move from surviving to thriving! This is especially important for foster kids, whose traumatic experiences can rewire their brain to focus on survival. The main point of The Whole-Brain Child is that families are not stuck in their current circumstances. Parents have the ability to change these circumstances by changing the way they respond and relate to the child, and as they do, they can help alter their child’s brain, and how the child responds to their environment, in the process. Adoptive and foster parents have found The Whole-Brain Child to be helpful and relevant as they parent children that have had difficult and traumatic experiences. |
Becky Colaw, MS Cherilyn Price, MSW |
Monday, May 23, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Special Needs Children This is the training required for caregivers who are receiving what is now called a higher level of care payment. This used to be referred to as a special care increment. In this training we talk about what behaviors you may see, why the children may display these behaviors, and what you can do to help children develop better coping mechanisms to replace the unhealthy behaviors. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Angelica Gonzalez, MSW |
Thursday, May 26, 2022 |
10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Closure Documentary-Screening & Discussion A special film screening Closure followed by a discussion. A documentary about a transracial adoptee who finds her birth mother, and meets the rest of a family who didn't know she existed, including her birth father. A story about identity, the complexities of trans-racial adoption, and most importantly, closure. *After the movie, there will be discussion on the topics covered. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Gayla Gibson, Relative Caregiver & Former Resource Parent |
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Cultural Sensitivity & Awareness Foster parenting often means parenting children from a different cultural background than your own. Learn ways to be sensitive to these differences, how to help the child feel at ease in your culture, and how to help the child celebrate and maintain their own culture! |
Angelica Gonzalez, MSW Cherilyn Price, MSW |
Friday, June 3, 2022 |
10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Mandated Reporter Certain persons such as teachers, counselors, health care providers, and resource families are mandated reporters and are required to report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect. This training will review types of abuse, indicators of child abuse and neglect, what is NOT child abuse and neglect and mandated reporter responsibilities. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Gayla Gibson, Relative Caregiver & Former Resource Parent |
Monay, June 6, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | The Martian Child Movie In this training participants will watch the movie "Martian Child", a film about a science-fiction writer, recently widowed, considers whether to adopt a hyper-imaginative 6 year old abandoned and socially rejected boy who says he's really from Mars. Participants will join in a discussion about trauma and how resource parents can help children heal. |
Angelica Gonzalez, MSW |
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 |
6-7:30 p.m. | Monthly Support Group-Summer Camp for Kids & Water Safety | |
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Emotional Intelligence Most people understand intelligence as “how smart a person is,” but there are actually several types of intelligence. Emotional intelligence is one of those types and is defined as “the ability to understand the emotions of yourself and others, show empathy, understand social relationships and cues, and regulate your own emotions and respond in culturally appropriate ways” (Parker, Saklofske, & Stough, 2009). In this class we will talk about emotional intelligence and how to develop it in for ourselves and children. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Valerie Tovar, MSW |
Thursday, June 16, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Understanding Children’s Mental Health Challenges Frequently foster children are diagnosed with a variety of mental health diagnosis, from depression and anxiety to Bipolar disorder. These diagnoses can be stigmatizing for the child and confusing for the resource family. This training will focus on increasing understanding about mental health diagnoses and what you, as the resource family, should expect and how to have effective conversations about mental health. |
Claudia Martinez, MSW, ASW Valerie Tovar, MSW |
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | ACES & Resiliency Participants will learn what ACE stands for, how it affects young developing minds and how to score themselves. They will recognize the links between high ACE scores and chronic disease, mental illness and violent acts. Participants will also explore some effective interventions used with children who have high ACE scores. |
Perla Davis, MFT |
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Dealing with Depression in Children Depression can be hard and scary when we are caring for a child who suffers from it. In this in-service we will talk about children who suffer from depression. We will define depression, identify symptoms for you to look for in children, and talk about things you can do to help a child who is depressed. We will also talk about suicide and suicidal ideation and what you can and should do when you have a child experiencing this. |
Becky Colaw, MS Alejandra Torres |
Saturday, June 25, 2022 |
8-10 a.m. | Parenting with Love & Logic This is a parenting curriculum developed many years ago by Foster Cline and Jim Fay that teaches parents how to use natural and logical consequences to help children grow into self-confident, responsible young people who have self-motivation. It teaches how a parent can establish healthy limitations and boundaries without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles. In this two-part training, we will talk about why this parenting strategy works and how to implement it. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Cherilyn Price, MSW Becky Colaw, MS |
Saturday, June 25, 2022 |
10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Parenting with Love & Logic This is a parenting curriculum developed many years ago by Foster Cline and Jim Fay that teaches parents how to use natural and logical consequences to help children grow into self-confident, responsible young people who have self-motivation. It teaches how a parent can establish healthy limitations and boundaries without anger, threats, nagging, or power struggles. In this two-part training, we will talk about why this parenting strategy works and how to implement it. |
Barbara Reifel, LCSW Cherilyn Price, MSW Becky Colaw, MS |
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | Creating Bonds/Relationships: For children who have experienced trauma, healing occurs through relationships. Often their history makes forming bonds and relationships difficult. After all, the bond that is most important was either never formed or has been broken. What can caregivers do to develop bonds with children who may resist them. This training will address ways that we can build relationships with children and youth in care. |
Angelica Gonzalez, MSW Barbara Reifel, LCSW |
Thursday, June 30, 2022 |
6-8 p.m. | The Body Keeps the Score This is a training based on the book, which is summarized here: “Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.” |
Becky Colaw, MS Valerie Tovar, MSW |