Save the Date–National Foster Parent Association 55th Education Conference
September 27–30, 2026
Crystal City, Virginia
This year is all about creating real IMPACT for caregivers through collaboration. The first two days focus on advocacy. Conference presentation topics on Sept. 29-30 will focus on the Core Supports needed by caregivers, Education for children in foster care, and Adoption Competent Care. There will be opportunities to gather with fellow foster, adoptive and kinship parents as well as policy makers and experts in the field. Learn, network, and to make your voice heard. Learn more.
The 2026 Families Rising Adoption & Foster Care Conference
October 21-22, 2026
Calling all kinship families, youth advocates, and foster and adoptive parents! Also, welcoming caseworkers, family support specialists, kinship navigators, and child therapists to join this virtual conference focused on helping children and families in US and Canadian communities thrive. Register online.
On Demand Opportunities to Build Your Knowledge & Understanding
Each year, our partner the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, provides thousands of hours of skill-building sessions and trainings to foster, kinship, adoptive, and guardianship caregivers. They are hosted by their programmatic staff, primarily The Institute for Child Welfare Innovation. Sessions are free, and most are held virtually. Some upcoming topics include Mental Health Considerations, Know Your Rights, Know Your Role, The Importance of Sibling Bonds, Separation, Loss & Grief, and many more. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the meeting link and a follow-up email with information about joining the meeting and obtaining training materials. Please note that some sessions do not count for training credit hours, so email Jennifer Woods and Neda Ghodsi with questions regarding whether in-service credit may be provided for attending.
Foster Parent College Available for Online In-Service Training!
Recently, the Virginia Department of Social Services renewed its contract with Foster Parent College which offers training on a variety of key topics. FPC is self-paced and can be accessed online from anywhere at your convenience 24/7. You may choose to take any class you believe will be helpful for your own personal growth and development. All classes are free to approved foster parents with Fairfax County, and you will receive in-service training hours for completing FPC courses. If you would like to receive a list of courses for review or if you have any questions about registering or assistance with login, please reach out to one of the in-service trainers; Neda Ghodsi and Jennifer Woods.
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