Partnering with Children, Youth, & Families

Foster and adoptive parents can be severely stressed by children’s mental and behavioral health needs. Many behavioral needs stem from the trauma (abuse and neglect) that children have experienced. We looked at whether trauma-informed mental health and child welfare services lessened the association between children’s behavioral health needs and foster and adoptive parent satisfaction and commitment. We found that for foster parents, as ratings of trauma-informed mental health services increased, the association between child behavioral health needs and parent satisfaction and commitment went away. Mental health services informed by trauma may ease parenting stress and improve parenting satisfaction and commitment.

This guide is intended for use by mental health treatment providers and by administrators in mental health agencies who are interested in better partnering with youth and families in their service delivery system.

This guide is designed for staff in domestic violence programs and provides practical guidance for supporting parents affected by domestic violence in their parenting

This guide outlines the needs of different types of resource parent within a developmental framework. Needs identified include foster parent development, emotional well-being, professional member of the team, resource support, crisis needs, and financial support.

This guide is intended to help caseworkers and caring adults learn more about treatment for youth in foster care, better understand trauma and treatments for trauma, and talk about strategies for helping with youth.

This document offers agencies a structure for examining and expanding the role of youth and families in their organizations on both the clinical and organizational levels. This document contains two self-assessment questionnaires, offers strategies for increasing youth and family involvement in all aspects of service delivery, and includes useful examples provided by one NCTSN site.

This document offers agencies a structure for examining and expanding the role of youth and families in their organizations on both the clinical and organizational levels. This document contains two self-assessment questionnaires, offers strategies for increasing youth and family involvement in all aspects of service delivery, and includes useful examples provided by one NCTSN site.

This practice guide outlines the importance, challenges, and best practices in working and supporting resource families

This practice guide outlines the importance, challenges, and best practices in working and supporting resource families

This guide is intended for use by mental health treatment providers and by administrators in mental health agencies who are interested in better partnering with youth and families in their service delivery system.

This guide is designed for staff in domestic violence programs and provides practical guidance for supporting parents affected by domestic violence in their parenting

This guide outlines the needs of different types of resource parent within a developmental framework. Needs identified include foster parent development, emotional well-being, professional member of the team, resource support, crisis needs, and financial support.

This guide is intended to help caseworkers and caring adults learn more about treatment for youth in foster care, better understand trauma and treatments for trauma, and talk about strategies for helping with youth.

This document offers agencies a structure for examining and expanding the role of youth and families in their organizations on both the clinical and organizational levels. This document contains two self-assessment questionnaires, offers strategies for increasing youth and family involvement in all aspects of service delivery, and includes useful examples provided by one NCTSN site.

This practice guide outlines the importance, challenges, and best practices in working and supporting resource families

This online course offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN is a source that acts as a precursor for the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Workshop for Resource Parents”, to aide resource families in deciding whether the workshop is beneficial to their needs. Face-to-face modules are available to reinforce learning and present to the child’s service team.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN addresses the important role visitation plays for young foster children and their caregivers. Discusses ways to organize and improve the visit experience, as well as ways to manage children's behavior during and after the visit.

This webinar offers family and professional leadership development ideas addressing the multiple dimensions of partnership with youth and families, including advisory board development, peer-to-peer support programs, and compensation for family members, among other topics.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN discusses the reasoning and importance of including a family in trauma-informed care. Reviews objectives and core therapeutic strategies that can be used with families to support positive adaptation.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN provides a brief history of the NCTSN Partnering with Youth and Families Committee and focuses on building cultural competence in outreach to families. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This webinar offered through the learning center on the NCTSN’s website suggests practical ways to partner with youth and families within treatment settings based on different resources and organizational structures. This webinar reflects the perspectives of providers, family members, and youth. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN presents effective and promising engagement strategies that support families in the aftermath of a trauma exposure.

This online course offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN was developed for individuals who work with birth parents involved in the child welfare system. It offers tips for viewing parents through a trauma lens and practical strategies to provide effective support to parents. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This YouTube video features the voices of families and alumni of foster care who share about their real world experiences with Child Welfare systems.  They also share their vision for the future for Child Welfare systems that helps all families thrive and thoughts on what it takes to build Communities of Hope.

This online course offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN is a source that acts as a precursor for the “Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Workshop for Resource Parents”, to aide resource families in deciding whether the workshop is beneficial to their needs. Face-to-face modules are available to reinforce learning and present to the child’s service team.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN addresses the important role visitation plays for young foster children and their caregivers. Discusses ways to organize and improve the visit experience, as well as ways to manage children's behavior during and after the visit.

This webinar offers family and professional leadership development ideas addressing the multiple dimensions of partnership with youth and families, including advisory board development, peer-to-peer support programs, and compensation for family members, among other topics.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN discusses the reasoning and importance of including a family in trauma-informed care. Reviews objectives and core therapeutic strategies that can be used with families to support positive adaptation.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN provides a brief history of the NCTSN Partnering with Youth and Families Committee and focuses on building cultural competence in outreach to families. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This webinar offered through the learning center on the NCTSN’s website suggests practical ways to partner with youth and families within treatment settings based on different resources and organizational structures. This webinar reflects the perspectives of providers, family members, and youth. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This webinar offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN presents effective and promising engagement strategies that support families in the aftermath of a trauma exposure.

This online course offered through the Learning Center of the NCTSN was developed for individuals who work with birth parents involved in the child welfare system. It offers tips for viewing parents through a trauma lens and practical strategies to provide effective support to parents. Accessing this resource requires a free registration at https://learn.nctsn.org/. Once you have a registration and are signed on you can either use the link on this page or search the name of the resource on the NCTSN Learning Center website to access this resource.

This YouTube video features the voices of families and alumni of foster care who share about their real world experiences with Child Welfare systems.  They also share their vision for the future for Child Welfare systems that helps all families thrive and thoughts on what it takes to build Communities of Hope.