Support Group Leaders

There are many foster, adoptive and kinship support groups held throughout Iowa. Those support groups would not exist without the hard work and dedication of the support group leaders. IFAPA provides support to the support group leaders in the following ways:

 

How to Make Your Support Group an IFAPA Affiliate

IFAPA will provide a grant in the amount of $100 to new foster/adoptive/kinship support groups when they become an affiliate and $100 per year thereafter, as funds allow. Applications received after November 30, 2011 will receive a $50 grant and can can apply for the full grant amount in the next fiscal year (after July 1st). The affiliate must complete an application every year in order to continue receiving funding.

If you would like to receive a support group grant and take advantage of IFAPA's support group resources, please complete the AFFILIATE APPLICATION and print off a copy of our SUPPORT GROUP AFFILIATE AGREEMENT.

 

IFAPA Staff Are Here to Help You Make Your Support Group a Success!

Once you have become an IFAPA-affiliated support group, here's a list of ways IFAPA can help you with your support group:

 

Support Group Listserv

IFAPA maintains a listserv exclusively for support group leaders across the state to connect and exchange information. The listserv is available to share ideas, provide notice of events and training opportunities, and to ask and respond to questions about support group facilitation. All members have the opportunity to post information or questions. Members also have the opportunity to share their expertise by answering questions or responding to information submitted by other listserv members.

IFAPA staff member Nancy Magnall is the listserv moderator. All postings come to her for approval and she forwards them to the other members of the group. If you are in a leadership role with a foster/adoptive parent support group and would like to become a member of the IFAPA support group listserv, send an e-mail to magnall_ifapa@yahoo.com and you will be added to the membership list.


Support Group Training Opportunities

IFAPA offers training opportunities to assist support group leaders plan for upcoming support group meetings. Some trainings are lead by an instructor provided by IFAPA and some are DVD/VHS trainings. Each of the following trainings have been approved for foster parent credit.Please have your training requests submitted to IFAPA six weeks prior to date training is needed. To have your support group training posted on the IFAPA website or to schedule one of these trainings for a support group, complete this form If you are making arrangements for a local speaker / training topic and want to get your training approved by DHS for foster parent training credit, complete the FOSTER PARENT TRAINING APPLICATION (form #470-2541).

INSTRUCTOR-LED TRAININGS BY IFAPA:

Each course has been approved for 2 hours of foster parent credit.

Confidentiality Training
This training is available to support groups in certain areas of the state. It provides an overview of Iowa’s Confidentiality Laws, Best Practices for Foster Parents, Penalties for Breaching Confidentiality and Liability Issues. Participants will learn about foster parents rights and responsibilities regarding confidentiality, as well as attaining and releasing information.

Building on Strengths: Training Modules (9 topics to choose from)

Boundaries
This training will teach you to:

Professional Relationships
This training will teach you to:

Placement Practices
This training will teach you to:

The Foster Family's System
This training will teach you to:

Behavioral Emergencies
In this training you will learn to:

Documentation
In this training you will learn:

Foundation for Discipline
In this training you will learn:

Discipline Strategies
In this training you will learn:

Recognizing Risks
In this training you will:

To schedule one of these trainings for a support group or to have your support group training posted on the IFAPA website please complete this form.

 

DVD OR VHS TRAININGS BY IFAPA:

The following topics are DVD or VHS trainings with discussion guides. No instructor is leading these topics, so support group leaders will facilitate these discussions.

Trust-Based Parenting: Creating Lasting Changes in Your Child's Behavior (Part 1) - DVD NEW! (2 hours of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross, founders of the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University
This two part DVD offers in-depth training for parents of children with trauma-based behavior issues. The Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a unique intervention model created by developmental psychologist, Dr. Karyn Purvis & Dr. David Cross, and is based on more than a decade of research and hands-on work with vulnerable children and their families. Part 1 of this two part DVD will cover the following topics:

Trust-Based Parenting: Creating Lasting Changes in Your Child's Behavior (Part 2) - DVD NEW! (2 hours of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross, founders of the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University
This two part DVD offers in-depth training for parents of children with trauma-based behavior issues. The Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a unique intervention model created by developmental psychologist, Dr. Karyn Purvis & Dr. David Cross, and is based on more than a decade of research and hands-on work with vulnerable children and their families. Part 2 of this two part DVD will cover the following topics:

Childhood Anxiety Disorders - DVD NEW! (1 hour of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. James Kagan
In Childhood Anxiety Disorders pediatric psychiatrist Dr. James Kagan and a panel of foster and adoptive parents discuss their children's fears and phobias: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, panic disorders; plus phobias like agoraphobia and other childhood worries. Dr. Kagan considers each child's issues and makes recommendations for setting and achieving behavior goals. Discussions focus on when to seek professional therapeutic counseling or psychotherapy and on what specific medications are available for both short- and long-term treatments.

ADHD, ADD and ODD - DVD NEW! (1 hour of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. James Kagan
Children with ADHD have difficulty functioning in a healthy way, exhibiting behavior that is inattentive, impulsive or physically hyperactive. Parents know about the negative impact these difficulties have on how the child does at home, school, and in the community. In ADHD, ADD, ODD, Dr. James Kagan offers insight and positive strategies to foster parents on dealing with kids diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. While presenting the stories of six families, Dr. Kagan covers issues such as symptoms, diagnosis, medication, power struggles, keeping things positive, and becoming advocates for the children.

Separation and Loss Issues for Foster Families - DVD (2 hours of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. Vera Fahlberg
Dr. Fahlberg talks with foster parents, foster teenagers, and adults who spent their teen years in foster care. The pain of separation and loss is the universal experience of every foster child. They offer insight on how the foster care system could lessen the impact of transition and strengthen a child’s relationships with both foster and birth parents.

Building Brilliant Brains Through Bonding - DVD (2 hours of foster parent training credit)
by Nancy Thomas of Families by Design in Colorado
This tape is filled with ideas to understand and activate the brain. It is especially geared toward children with emotional illness such as Reactive Attachment Disorder. Humor and insight combined to make this film clear and compelling. Come, join Nancy Thomas and her special guest Lawrence Van Bloem of the Cascade Center in Orem, Utah as they share the insights gained from combined 50 years of working with difficult children with broken hearts and wounded minds. Learn the secrets to success in healing the brain of a traumatized child!

Parenting the Explosive Child - DVD (2 hours of foster parent training credit)
by: Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., and J. Stuart Ablon, Ph. D.
In this video Dr. Ross Greene and his colleague, Dr. Stuart Ablon, help parents understand the specifics cognitive skill deficits that can impair a child's capacities for flexibility and frustration tolerance and provide step-by-step guidance on their approach -known as Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) - for teaching these skills. This video features live interviews with parents of behaviorally challenging children and provides answers to many of the common questions parents have about the CPR approach.

Working with Birth Parents 1: Visitation - DVD (30 minutes of foster parent training credit)
by Charley Joyce, LICSW
Working with Birth Parents 1: Visitation explains why birth parent visits are both turbulent and disturbing; yet it emphasizes why they are nevertheless beneficial to the child. Charley Joyce, LICSW, presents insightful explanations and provides practical suggestions for making visitation more positive. This course suggests ways for foster parents to clarify their roles in the visitation process and who to turn to for support. Using realistic cases, common problems are explored and solved with recommendations for younger and older children.

Reactive Attachment Disorder - DVD (30 minutes of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. Richard Delaney
Reactive Attachment Disorder may be a common term these days, but that doesn't mean it's easy for parents to understand, let alone know how to care for a child with RAD. In this course, Dr. Richard Delaney explores the symptoms and types of RAD with a parent support group and offers strategies for dealing with the complex and challenging disorder. Topics covered include: the difference between a healthy attachment — where children feel safe, secure and loved — and an unhealthy attachment, emotionally promiscuous RAD, hyper-vigilant RAD, RAD and other diagnoses.

DVD Library of Various Behavior Issues (30 minutes of foster parent training credit)
by Dr. Richard Delaney
Dr. Delaney, author and well-known psychologist and foster parenting expert, has created several topics, along with a summary, an interactive question and answer section, and certificates of credit. Dramatic vignettes, interviews with parents and instruction from nationally recognized child welfare experts present effective and practical messages focusing on specific behavior problems.

The DVD Library includes:

To schedule one of these trainings for a support group or to have your support group training posted on the IFAPA website please complete this form.

 

Other Support Group Training Suggestions

Support group leaders are often looking for suggestions of trainings and trainers they can access locally to supplement the trainings offered by IFAPA. Here is a list of suggestions of local resources that have been utilized by various support groups around the state. Your local ISU Extension Office, local AEA, area therapists, and medical personnel are often great resources for group trainings. View other support group training suggestions.

 

Additional Support

Nancy Magnall, one of IFAPA's Resource Information Specialists, has 15 years of experience facilitating her own local support group. If you have additional questions about operating a support group, contact Nancy at 877-467-4100 or magnall_ifapa@msn.com.

 

 

 

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