Helping Children And Families Live Successfully.
We are holding OPEN Orientations from now until March 20, 2009. Orientation typically lasts one hour and gives you a chance to learn more about Youth Villages and about becoming a foster parent. We also offer private orientation classes at a time convenient to you.
PATH training classes begin Saturday, March 21, starting at 9 am and ending at 4:30 pm. Classes will meet for seven weeks. Lunch is provided.
Both orientation and training classes are held at the Youth Villages Dyersburg office at 1865 Highway 51 Bypass North.
Contact Scott Fields at (731) 288-4612 or scott.fields@youthvillages.org to sign up for orientation, training, get directions to our office or to find out if Youth Villages offers orientation and training classes at a location closer to you.
Eddie and Linda Brown completed their 7 weeks of training and were certified as resource parents on February 13, 2009. Eddie and Linda recalled seeing the advertisement in the newspaper several times before finally calling to get information and now wish they had done it sooner. The Brown's said that their two main motives for wanting to be foster parents was to help kids that are in need of a loving, nurturing and caring home and due to not being able to have kids of their own they see fostering as great avenue to make a difference in the life of children. Linda has stated that the process of certification was not the easiest thing she has done but was well worth it. The training classes were informative and covered a lot of material that has been needed. With a smile on her face she says, "but they were long and I hated that you could not miss very many." Eddie laughed and said, "Yeah and some of the homework was kinda hard." Linda indicated that being a private person getting the paperwork together, especially what she considered to be more personal, was the hardest part for her in the certification process. The Brown's had a child identified before they were finished with their training and have already taken placement of that child. Things are going well and their only frustration at this time is that paperwork (pass forms) does not get approved through all the steps quickly enough. A lot of Linda's family lives just over the state line in Missouri (about 15 or 30 minutes away) and going for a visit now needs a little more planning due to the out of state pass form that is required. Eddie and Linda want me to leave you with these thoughts. "Don't listen to the horror stories and don't be swayed by the extensive history some of these kids have. The kids need help. THEY NEED YOU! Don't let someone else stop you from being a foster parent, come to the trainings, take a child or two or three and make the choice for yourself. It may be the most rewarding thing you ever do."
The PATH training classes were developed to help prospective resource parents decide whether providing foster, adoptive or kinship care to children is appropriate for them. PATH is based on the belief that children grow and develop better in families, where they can build lasting relationships. The early trauma experienced by many children in the child welfare system has a lifelong impact on how they feel about themselves, their ability to trust and their willingness to build relationships. Resource families will address issues that are different from those faced by families that are formed by birth. This curriculum addresses these core issues in a way that prepares prospective resource families for their new and complex role. The skills needed to be a successful resource parent differs from those needed to rear children from birth. Everything in this training including the written material, video presentations, in class assignments, role-play, class discussions and interactions as well as the homework is designed to help resource parents begin to understand the children from the system and develop the skills needed to parent them successfully.
