Web-Based Training Center for Foster & Adoptive Parents

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this project is to develop, produce, and evaluate an electronic training center for foster and adoptive parents delivered via DVD or the Web. The site will provide high quality and comprehensive continuing education for parents in the child care system. These parents are frequently unable to make arrangements to attend training activities, which severely limits the quantity, quality, and relevance of materials available to them. Initial course offerings will include a total of 19 courses in three instructional areas: Dealing with Children's Serious Emotional Problems, Coping with School Issues, and Kinship Care. In Phase I, we completed development for one course on Anger Outbursts. The delivery format reflects a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation that features: a focused introduction to the problem, story narratives from parents about the problem, a question-and-response session with a clinical expert, a synthesis of information, and suggested steps for parent follow-up. In the evaluation study, utilizing a DVD format, we found that parents in the treatment group made highly significant improvements in knowledge as well as changes in parent confidence and perspective regarding Anger Outbursts, compared with parents in the control group. Parents also reported a high degree of user satisfaction with the materials. In Phase l we will develop and produce 18 additional courses. The evaluation study will assess parent gains in knowledge and self-perceptions with a subset of courses from each of the three instructional areas. The site will be promoted throughout an established national network of state and county agencies.