Department of Family Services – Children, Youth and Families

CONTACT INFORMATION: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
703-324-7500 TTY 711
12011 Government Center Parkway, Pennino Building
Fairfax, VA 22035
Oriane Eriksen
Director

STAY CONNECTED

To sign up for updates or to access your subscriber preferences, please enter your contact information below.

Foster Care and Adoption – Trainings and Conferences

Foster Care and Adoption provides a variety of trainings and conferences for licensed Fairfax County foster parents occurring in 2024. Dates are subject to change, so check back often.

Note: Some trainings may require attendance for multiple dates.

Cultivate Connection, an In-Service Training Opportunity influenced by ARC Reflections 
Wednesday, Dec. 18
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. 
Virtual via Microsoft Teams 

Foster and kin parents are invited to learn to help children regulate emotions, feel connected, and build strengths. RSVP by Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, to Emily Thomas. Future dates and topics in this series will be offered the third Wednesday of each month. Attendance at all sessions is strongly encouraged but not required.

Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education (REVIVE! Kit Training).
Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025
7-8 p.m.
Virtual training via Teams.

Fairfax County foster parents are invited to attend a special training provided by the Community Services Board. Learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose, how to administer naloxone nasal spray to potentially reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and what to do and not do when responding. Be on the lookout for a flyer with more details in your email. Register online by Friday, Jan. 17. The CSB also offers general virtual REVIVE! trainings. Visit their website for the available dates.

Foster to Adopt Training
Wednesdays, Feb. 5 and 12, 6:30-9 p.m. 
(You must attend both sessions)
Virtual Via MS Teams

Come learn about the transition from fostering to adopting and meet other families considering the same process. The training will cover issues such as transracial adoption and cultural sensitivity; the impact of adoption on child development; ongoing birth family and sibling contact; Adoption Assistance and resources. There will be a panel discussion during the second session. RSVP to Emily Thomas by Friday, Jan. 31.

Foster Parent College Training Highlight (For Fairfax County Foster Parents Only)

Foster Parent College (FPC) is a great way to obtain training on key topics from the comfort of your home. FPC provides newly approved and seasoned foster parents with a curriculum designed to build new skills and reinforce information acquired from New Generation PRIDE (formerly PRIDE). As approved foster parents with Fairfax County, all classes are free and available to you 24/7. You may choose to take any class you believe will be helpful for your own personal growth and development. This month’s featured training is Supporting Normalcy (Also available in Spanish).

Training Title: Supporting Normalcy (Also available in Spanish).

Description: Children in care should have as close to a normal life as possible and be able to engage in the same positive youth activities as children who are not in care. The reasonable and prudent parenting standards were developed by each state so parents would have the necessary guidelines to encourage normalcy. This course explores how to provide normalcy for youth in care using the prudent parenting standards.

*The training will take approximately 1.0 hours to complete and fulfills 2.0 hours of on-line in-service training. You may take the class at your own pace.

Register Online

Log In with your log in credentials.
Scroll and select the course titled – Supporting Normalcy (Under the Parenting Strategies Courses tab)
Select Enroll to begin the course.

If you have questions or need additional support, please reach out to one of the in-service trainers; Emily Thomas. You may also contact FPC at 541-343-6636 or toll free at 1-800-777-6636, (PT) for technical difficulties. As always, once a class is completed, please email the certificate to Emily Thomas.

Back to top

(return to Foster Care and Adoption)

Fairfax Virtual Assistant