Course details:
From the point of view of foster carers, teenagers are often the age group that present the greatest challenge when in their care. It may be that the young person has entered care as an older child, or experienced numerous placements; all of this complicating their feelings and behaviour.
Adolescence is also a time of significant progression of development, with a radical reorganisation of the brain and issues around the development of separation, power, autonomy and independence. This presents all parents with challenges around guidance and boundaries. However, when a teenager has also experienced developmental trauma and the developmental deficits this brings, all of the features and challenges of typical adolescence are magnified and compounded.
This training is designed to help foster carers to reflect on some of these themes and consider ways they can support and respond to adolescents to gain their trust and cooperation.
Course aims and objectives:
Learning outcomes
- Understand teenage brain development, puberty and the impact on behaviour issues of risk taking, power, autonomy and control
- Understand the importance of social development and presentation in adolescence
- Understand the impact of trauma on information processing, perception and issues of power
- The significance of power dynamics in human relationships
- The importance of how power can be managed by parents/carers through a child’s ongoing development
- Exploring our own relationship with power and control
- Explore a range of communication skills that can be used to maintain relationships, for example negotiating rules and boundaries
- Ways of responding in the face of adolescent resistant, angry or coercive behaviour that enables both foster carer and the adolescent to feel empowered and which will gain cooperation.
- Explore how to help teenagers manage transitions and access appropriate support
For further information, or if you have booked a place on the course and have not received notification to attend please contact the Workforce Development & Learning Administrative Team. Please do not turn up to any course unless you have received notification of your place as the event may be fully booked.