Dr. Crumbley's Supporting Kinship Caregivers Training Series
As the number of kinship caregivers increases for children in foster care and more child welfare jurisdictions adopt a “kin first” placement practice, the need to provide specialized support for relatives is becoming even more crucial.
Training series one and two were produced by The Annie E. Casey Foundation’. Series one is geared towards professionals and is entitled, “Engaging Kinship Caregivers: Managing Risk Factors in Kinship Care”. Series two is geared towards caregivers and is entitled “Coping with the Unique Challenges of Kinship Care”. Each includes a discussion guide to help program directors, supervisors and trainers lead group sessions to deepen the learning experience.
Training series three, entitled, “Kinship Care”, was produced by Northwest Media.
Training Series One
ENGAGING KINSHIP CAREGIVERS
Produced by The Annie E. Casey Foundation
http://www.aecf.org/blog/engaging-kinship-caregivers-with-joseph-crumbley/
Accessible online at The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work Continuing Education Program offering continue education units.
https://www.sp2.upenn.edu/academics/opensp2/
MODULE 1: GUILT
This module explores how to manage the understandable feelings of guilt that relative caregivers may experience as a result of changing family dynamics and loyalties
MODULE 2: LOSS AND AMBIVALENCE
This module explores how kinship care creates interruptions of the caregiver’s plans, priorities, space and privacy and how these can contribute to feelings of loss and ambivalence for the relative caregiver. It is critical to understand how these feelings can become risk factors to permanency planning.
MODULE 3: PROJECTIONS AND TRANSFERENCE
This module explores projection and transference, which are psychological terms about unconscious processes where we redirect our emotions from one person to another. They are frequently observed in families and are not inherently bad. But, they can become a risk factor in kinship care when negative feelings about the birth parents are transferred to the child in care, leading to “re-creating the monster” and “self-fulfilling prophecies.”
MODULE 4: HOPE, FANTASY AND DENIAL
This module explores how one person’s hope can be another person’s denial. Understanding how important hope is for family members is critical to empathetically working with caregivers in maintaining their hopes while making alternative plans if hopes aren’t realized.
MODULE 5: LOYALTY ISSUES
This module explores how to assist caregivers in prioritizing their dual loyalties between the birth parent and child; and manage their feelings of betrayal.
Training Series Two
COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF KINSHIP CARE
Produced by The Annie E. Casey Foundation
https://www.aecf.org/blog/training-series-coping-with-the-unique-challenges-of-kinship-care/
MODULE 1: LOSS AND AMBIVALENCE
This module explores how kinship care can interrupt relative caregivers’ plans, priorities, space and privacy—and how this can contribute to their feelings of loss and ambivalence.
MODULE 2: GUILT
This module focuses on how relative caregivers can manage their understandable feelings of guilt because of changing loyalties, roles and relationship with birth parent and child
MODULE 3: HOPE AND DENIAL
This module asks, when can hope become a problem? The answer: When relative caregivers cannot implement safety plans or develop permanency plans for the sake of children in their care.
MODULE 4: QUESTIONS FROM CAREGIVERS
This module allows you to listen to questions from caregivers on multiple topics—and hear Dr.Crumbley’s recommendations and responses.
Training Series Three
KINSHIP CARE
Produced by Northwest Media
www.fosterparentcollege.com/course-info/kinship
Joseph Crumbley, D.S.W. explores issues specific to kinship care. The course focuses on some of the unique problems and stressors related to this type of care. Dr. Crumbley offers caregivers insights and steps on kinship parenting, and he provides general steps for parents to consider when parenting these special foster children.