It’s not just putting on band aids and darning socks…

Ongoing Training Requirements.
All licensed Foster Parents are required to receive ten (10) hours of ongoing annual training, five (5) of which must be in a classroom setting.

The Licensure Specialist shall ensure that the Foster Parents on their caseload are notified of the availability of home-based and online training opportunities, as well as dates, times, and locations of classroom-based classes.

Approved Ongoing Training.
Foster parents are permitted to receive training, with approval of the Licensure Specialist, through participation in the following: training sessions, seminars, workshops, or conferences specifically dealing with children or parenting issues that have been approved by the National Association of Social Workers, Mississippi Chapter or the Child Welfare Training Institute (CWTI);

1. Training provided by a MDCPS Licensure or Adoption Specialist; and
2. Individual training sessions conducted as part of a home visit.
   The Licensure Specialist has the authority to approve other training events. Foster parents who wish to participate in any other training event must get permission from the Licensure Specialist/ASWS prior to registering for and attending the training event.
   
3. Each ongoing training should impart new skills or knowledge necessary to care for the children in the foster parent’s home. The foster parent cannot seek training on the same subject unless new and updated material is being presented.
   
   Proof of Training.
   Foster Parents are required to provide a certificate and agenda or other proof of completion to the Licensure Specialist within three (3) months of the training. The Licensure Specialist must place documentation of completion of ongoing training hours in the paper file and in MACWIS.
   
4. Carryover Hours.
   Foster Parents who exceed the required number of ongoing training hours may roll over up to three (3) training hours to the next year. The Licensure Specialist must document the total number of hours completed and indicate in the paper file and in MACWIS that the family is eligible to roll hours over to the next year.

Authority: Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services

Matthew Thompson and Chad King are child welfare attorneys in the State of Mississippi. They have represented natural parents, foster parents, grandparents, other relatives, fictive kin, children and the Agency (CPS) throughout their decades of practice. (NOT all at the same time).