Training
Module 7: Promoting Children's Personal And Cultural Identity
Session One provides participants with an understanding of the importance of valuing and making a commitment to cultural competence and ways to work with the family foster care team to promote positive self-esteem through respecting, advancing and sharing children’s cultural norms and traditions.
| Course Duration | 6 hours |
| Course Delivery | Self-Directed, Online |
| Course Provider | Governors State University, Chicago IL |
| Course Type | Self-Directed, Online |
After a discussion of the meaning of culture, cultural competence, the impact of culture on the participants’ lives and the reasons why children in need of family foster care are at risk in the area of self-esteem and cultural identity, the session focuses on the foster family's role in helping children achieve a positive cultural identity. Participants acquire information about steps they can take to learn about the cultural norms of children in their care. They engage in activities designed to increase their ability to use the community to support children's cultural identity, to incorporate the child's culture and traditions into daily life, to manage diverse traditions in the family, and to help assure positive special occasions within the foster family.
The overall goal of Session Two entitled, "Helping Children Develop Lifebooks" is to demonstrate how Lifebooks can be used with children to record their life stories in a way that promotes a positive sense of identity and self-esteem.
Building on their understanding of how Lifebooks contribute to the child's self-esteem, identity and the maintenance of connections, participants learn about a variety of ways to approach the interactive process involved in developing a Lifebook with children. They practice concrete ways to discuss sensitive issues with children and identify and record positive aspects of a child’s history. To illustrate that the Lifebook involves a process and a product, participants begin planning a Lifebook for a child living with their family.
Course Details
Upcoming Events: Module 7: Promoting Children's Personal And Cultural Identity
No upcoming course events at this time.
Related Courses
Module 1: The Foundation for Meeting the Developmental Needs of Children at Risk
The knowledge and skills developed during the four sessions of this module are critical to successfully fulfilling the foster parent role. The foundation competencies addressed pertain to assessing and building children's self-esteem, understanding behavior, and developing effective interpersonal skills. These sessions are designed to illustrate how to connect one's understanding of self-esteem and the meaning of behavior to the use of effective communication skills and the disciplinary process.
Module 4: Responding To The Signs And Symptoms Of Sexual Abuse
This module consists of two sessions. The first session is intended to increase the participants’ understanding of sexual abuse, while second session is focused on assisting foster parents to respond effectively to the issues of sexual abuse.
Module 3: Addressing Developmental Issues Related To Sexuality
This module, consisting of one three-hour session, provides information on normal sexual development and behavior in children and youth, identifies factors that indicate problematic sexual behavior, and outlines techniques for educating children about sexuality.
Module 6: Working As A Professional Team Member
The purpose of this module is to provide foster parents with an understanding of the professional team in working on behalf of children and families. The three sessions include information and skill development related to teamwork, the tasks of foster parents as professional team members, and conflict management.
