Foster Parent College Launches "Culturally Competent Parenting"

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 04, 2009 – Many foster parents find themselves caring for children from minority cultures. Coping with cultural differences brings challenges regular foster parent training does not prepare them for. In the latest Foster Parent College on-line course, Dr. Tanya M. Coakley provides insight into and strategies for dealing with cultural differences in the family.

The class focuses on helping children maintain a healthy cultural identity, building their confidence and self-esteem, and helping them deal with prejudice and racism. Plus, it helps foster parents understand when and how to advocate for the rights of children in their care.

At the end of this course, parents will be able to:
•   identify the causes of cultural confusion
•   develop empathy for a minority child living in a majority culture family
•   identify strategies to help children appreciate and maintain their cultural identity
•   know when and how to advocate for rights on a child’s behalf
•   identify key points necessary for the development of a healthy cultural identity
•   identify general steps parents can take to enhance a child’s cultural identity

Dr. Coakley is a professor of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a specialist in transcultural foster, adoptive and kinship families.

This interactive course provides two training units and costs $8. It is available online on
fosterparentcollege.com and will be available soon on DVD on SocialLearning.com. “Culturally Competent Parenting” is the 27th offering on FPC; other titles include, “Grief and Loss in the Care System,” “Child Abuse and Neglect,” “Positive Parenting,” “House Safety” and more.

For more information about this class or to watch a short preview, visit fosterparentcollege.com or call 800-777-6636.

Foster Parent College is a division of Northwest Media, Inc. of Eugene, OR. Northwest Media also produces Vstreet.com, a comprehensive life skills website, and SocialLearning.com, an online store with over 1,300 products for the social services field.

For more information about this article, contact Lisa Siegle at 541-343-6636 or lisa@northwestmedia.com