Session 1

Unit Four: Competencies for Foster and Adoptive Parents

In the Introduction section of the manual, competencies are identified. We will begin the second module by talking about what competencies are and how they are integrated into this training. A complete description of the competencies can be found in your manual in the Competency
Guide Section.

The Department of Health and Human Services and CWTI came together to identify the knowledge, skills, abilities and underlying personal characteristics needed to be an effective foster parent. This process involved extensive interviews with foster parents who had been identified as outstanding and thorough analysis of the licensing requirements.

The result was the identification of five competency areas, specific areas of outstanding performance. Competencies include all the skills, knowledge, values, traits, and motives required of the person fostering or adopting.

The technical knowledge and skills are sometimes easier to describe or recognize, but they are no more important than the personal characteristics below the surface.

 

Effective functioning by foster and adoptive parents in the real world involves the capacity to learn from experience and to manage change. No one individual is expected to be accomplished in all competencies. Instead, through self-assessment and reflective practice, the parent will be in a constant upward spiral of learning and growth. This is what is meant by self-development as a foster parent. It is a process that began the first time you even considered being a foster and adoptive parent. It is a process that will continue as long as you stay in the field.

At the beginning of each session several competencies will be listed along with the learning objectives. This list enumerates the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will be imparted to participants through the presented material.