Item Code: 8913
ISBN: 9780878688913
Published: 2003
A Tradition of Caring is a comprehensive nine-session curriculum, providing kinship caregivers with 27 hours of valuable information and support related to kinship care. Sessions are designed to facilitate interaction and the sharing of experiences and support among participants. Meetings utilize a task-based, strengths-oriented approach to learning. During the course of this program, each participant develops a comprehensive individualized action plan for accessing needed resources and meeting identified family needs.
The Carebook is the participant's resource workbook. It includes all resource material for all nine group meetings for participants to use in both the meetings and as an at-home reference after they complete the program. Facilitators of Tradition of Caring groups may make copies of the workbook to provide for participant in the program.
Modules focus on key concerns, including:
General kinship care issues
Supporting healthy child growth and development
Accessing needed resources
Addressing changes in family dynamics
Promoting children's needs for lifelong connections
Understanding and navigating the formal child welfare system.
The program has been created for use by a broad spectrum of agencies: elder service programs; community social service and mental health agencies; kinship care resource centers; faith-affiliated, community-based, or other types of support groups; and public and private child welfare organizations. Rather than functioning primarily as a trainer, the person managing the group assumes the role of facilitator. Sessions are designed to allow the facilitator flexibility to respond to the needs, dynamics, and makeup of each group.