The Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) is working to recruit and train foster families in Nevada's 15 rural counties to support children in need.
The eight-session online training is designed to help prepare prospective foster parents with sessions covering:
- What life is like in foster homes
- Licensing steps and keys to success
- Caring for children who have special needs or have experienced trauma
- Working with birth families.
Trainees will here from judges, social workers, birth parents, and current and former foster parents on their experiences and insights into fostering.
After completing all training sessions participants can advance to foster care licensure's next steps, which include completion of a background check, and participation in a home study with DCFS to ensure the home and family are a good fit for a child in foster care.
“Foster parents are a soft place to land for children in care. We encourage those who have considered becoming a foster parent to join this training to learn more about keeping kids safe in rural Nevada,” said Rural Foster Care Recruiter Shelby Riley, LSW.
Rural foster parents can be single or married, work full or part-time, and rent or own their own home.
Foster parents also receive a stipend to help with food, housing, clothing, and educational supplies.
About 400 children are in foster care in rural Nevada and this training and educational opportunity is designed to increase the number of homes available in Nevada’s 15 rural counties.
Training sessions will be held twice a week, October 3 through October 26, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Microsoft Teams application.
To register for training, please go to http://www.ruralnvfostercare.com/ and click on the "Get Started" button.
(Nevada Division of Child and Family Services)
