LCA Logo

LCA Education & Consulting

In-Service Training for

Foster and Adoptive Caregivers

Supporting Complex Placements for Adults with

School-Age and Adolescent Youth

This in-service training supports foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers navigating complex placements. The focus is practical, relational, and grounded in real-life application, with experience supporting high-need and adolescent placements and broad application across school-age populations.

 

Sessions center on helping caregivers interpret behavior through a developmental and trauma-informed lens, strengthen attachment, clarify structure within the home, and respond effectively during high-intensity moments.

 

All trainings are delivered in person and aligned with FCARSTC contract requirements.

Who This Is For?

 

  • Foster parents
  • Adoptive parents
  • Relative caregivers
  • Children’s Division staff seeking in-service options

 

Services Available Under Contract:

  • In-Service Training, group minimum 5
  • Ad Hoc In-Service, Pre-Existing
  • Ad Hoc In-Service, One-on-One
  • Initial Screening Consultation

Delivery Formats

  • In-person
  • 1-hour and 3-hour
  • Multi-session options
  • Authorized ad hoc per family

 

Parenting-Focused In-Service Topics

Designed for foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers supporting youth ages 9–18. Sessions focus on reducing escalation, strengthening attachment, and preventing placement disruption. Topics may be delivered individually or combined to meet specific placement needs.

 

Most topics are designed for extended or multi-session formats to allow for meaningful application and skill development. One-hour sessions are offered as focused supplements rather than comprehensive training. **Custom Trainings are available on request

 

Placement Stability and Attachment

Attachment and Relational Repair
Strengthening connection after conflict and rebuilding trust to maintain placement stability.

 

Understanding Trauma Triggers and Behavioral Responses
Interpreting behavior through a trauma lens and responding effectively.

 

Grief, Loss, and Loyalty Conflicts in Foster Youth
Recognizing grief-driven behaviors and supporting divided attachments.

 

Transitions, Permanency, and Placement Stability
Preparing for reunification, adoption, or aging out while reducing disruption.

 

Adolescent Development and Identity

Developmentally Appropriate Expectations

Aligning caregiver expectations with trauma history, emotional age, and adolescent development.

 

Adolescent Brain Development in Foster Care
Understanding risk behavior, autonomy, identity formation, and safety planning.

 

Supporting Teens Without Power Struggles
Maintaining clear boundaries while reinforcing accountability and connection.

 

De-Escalation Skills for High-Conflict Teens
Practical strategies to interrupt conflict cycles and reduce behavioral escalation.

 

Discipline Versus Development in Adolescence
Replacing shame-based correction with developmentally informed accountability.

 

Teaching Emotional Regulation to Adolescents
Building co-regulation skills and practical tools to reduce reactive behavior.

 

Digital Culture and Adolescent Attachment
Addressing online risk, identity formation, and social media influence in foster youth.

 

LGBTQ+ Identity Development in Foster Youth
Supporting identity formation and belonging while maintaining placement stability.

 

Sexual Behavior and Safety in Foster Adolescents
Responding to sexual behavior concerns with clear boundaries and safety planning.

 

Substance Use and Trauma in Teens
Understanding trauma-driven substance use and strengthening protective responses.

 

Running Away and Safety Planning in Foster Care
Reducing flight risk through connection, structure, and proactive safety planning.

 

Parenting Teens with Complex Trauma
Strengthening caregiver capacity in high-need, high-conflict placements.

 

Preparing Teens for Independent Living
Supporting skill development, autonomy, and permanency planning for older youth.

 

Pre-Adolescence (Ages 9–13)

Late Childhood and Early Adolescent Development

Understanding developmental shifts in ages 9–13 and aligning caregiver expectations to reduce frustration, escalation, and early placement instability.

 

Emotional Regulation for Ages 9–13

Building co-regulation and emotional skill development in pre-adolescents to reduce reactive behavior and prevent escalation.

 

Peer Conflict and Social Belonging in Foster Youth

Addressing peer rejection, social conflict, and belonging struggles in pre-adolescents to strengthen confidence and placement stability.

 

Early Digital Boundaries and Online Safety

Establishing age-appropriate digital boundaries and online safety practices for pre-adolescents in foster care.

 

Supporting Puberty and Body Changes in Foster Care

Helping pre-adolescents navigate puberty, body changes, and identity development with stability and dignity.

 

Preparing Pre-Teens for the Transition to Adolescence

Proactively preparing youth ages 9–13 for adolescent autonomy, identity shifts, and increasing independence.

 

Structural Stability and Caregiver Leadership

Family Hierarchy and Parental Leadership

Establishing clear authority structures that promote safety and stability

 

Boundaries, Roles, and Preventing Triangulation

Reducing role confusion and stabilizing relational dynamics

 

Authority Without Escalation

Maintaining leadership while reducing power struggles and conflict cycles

 

Caregiver Regulation as the Stabilizing Force

How the adult nervous system determines family stability

 

Repairing Structural Rupture and Restoring Stability
Teaching collaborative problem-solving in everyday conflict.

 

Caregiver Resilience and Family Skill-Building

Caregiver Stress and Secondary Trauma
Recognizing burnout and implementing protective strategies to prevent placement breakdown.

 

Communication and De-Escalation Strategies
Language shifts that reduce defensiveness and interrupt repetitive conflict cycles.

 

Discipline Versus Punishment
Replacing punitive responses with structured, developmentally appropriate correction.

 

Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills for Families
Teaching collaborative problem-solving to reduce chronic conflict.

 

Building Empathy and Healthy Self-Concept
Strengthening connection while encouraging responsibility without shame.

Note For Caseworkers and Referral Partners

Services are grounded in research-informed parenting education and trauma-aware practice used across child welfare and family support systems. Session structure and dosage are most effective when guided by clear goals and an understanding of placement dynamics.

 

In-service training may be structured in one of two ways:

 

Topic-Selected Format
Caseworkers may request specific in-service topics based on identified needs, referral goals, or court requirements. Sessions may be delivered as focused training or expanded into extended formats when appropriate.

 

Assessment-Informed Format
Caregivers may complete an intake and needs assessment to guide topic selection, session structure, and recommended dosage. When requested, a structured learning plan can be developed to address identified strengths, risk factors, and placement stability concerns.

 

A Structured Support Plan supports:

  • Clear identification of caregiver strengths and growth areas

  • Alignment of training content with referral goals

  • Recommended session structure and duration

  • Meaningful documentation of participation and progress

 

Documentation of attendance and participation will be provided in accordance with referral or court requirements. Consultation is available to support case planning and placement stability decisions.

Please use the Referrals Tab to request services.