System and caregiver role
Orientation; child protective and probation systems; resource family role; permanency; reasonable and prudent parent standard; mandated reporting.
FC
Training and courses
California caregiver training requirements and provider standards
California requires caregiver learning before and after approval, while the accepting county or foster family agency controls the provider, course, format, and credited hours.
California onlySource reviewed July 21, 2026General information, not legal advice
Statewide floor, local implementation
Four training checkpoints to plan around
| Checkpoint | Statewide rule | What varies |
|---|---|---|
| Before approval | At least 12 hours for each applicant | The RFA Written Directives list 24 topic areas. A county or FFA can require more hours or a particular curriculum. |
| After approval | At least 8 hours every 12 months for each resource parent | When a child is placed, part of the learning must support that child's case plan, goals, and needs. |
| CPR and first aid | Document within 90 days after approval and keep current | Use an allowed certifying source or an applicable professional-license or certification equivalent described in the directives. |
| Care for youth age 10+ | Trafficking-focused training within 12 months | Training addresses indicators, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, resources, stigma, and lived perspectives. |
Pre-approval content map
The 24 directive topics, organized into six teachable clusters
Grouping topics improves navigation; it does not delete or replace any required subject. Any 12-hour course must maintain a detailed one-to-one source crosswalk.
Trauma and parenting
Trauma, grief, loss, abuse, neglect, domestic violence, child development, positive discipline, self-esteem, and behavioral support.
Rights, identity, and culture
Personal rights, nondiscrimination, cultural humility, race and ethnicity, SOGIE inclusion, fair services, and tribal and family connections.
Health and safety
Common health issues, mental and behavioral health, substance use, psychotropic medication information, sexual and reproductive health, and trafficking.
Education and services
School safety, education stability, supports, services, resources, and the Family Urgent Response System.
Family and permanency
Birth-family relationships, reunification, adoption and guardianship, sibling and natural supports, development toward adulthood, and case-plan teamwork.
How 101PD can qualify
There is no honest statewide shortcut: become agency-ready, then earn acceptance organization by organization.
The Written Directives say a county may provide training or require training from qualified sources, which may include colleges, hospitals, foster parent associations, adult schools, certified foster parent instructors, and online sources. They do not create a single public statewide online-provider application that automatically binds all 58 counties.
- 1
Map every course
Create a crosswalk from lesson, activity, and assessment to the applicable RFA topic and intended audience.
- 2
Credential the team
Use California child-welfare subject experts, adult-learning expertise, caregiver lived experience, current resumes, conflicts review, and background requirements applicable to the contract.
- 3
Build measurable learning
Use original material, accessibility, clear objectives, knowledge checks, final assessments, remediation, and documented seat-time methodology.
- 4
Issue complete evidence
A completion record must identify the training topic, learner, completion date, and completed hours; add verification and provider contact information.
- 5
Create the agency packet
Provide syllabus, source map, faculty, delivery format, accessibility, language plan, assessment rules, sample certificate, privacy/security, support, and version history.
- 6
Seek written acceptance
Ask each county or FFA what it will accept, for which audience and requirement, in what format, and for how many hours. Store the decision and renewal date.
- 7
Support agency administration
Plan assignments, roster imports, separate learner accounts, attendance, certificates, completion exports, and exception handling.
- 8
Maintain quality
Track evaluations, complaints, completions, assessment performance, updates in law and policy, corrective action, and annual expert review.
What the platform should support
- Individual learner identities and optional agency-linked accounts
- A searchable topic library organized by foster-care, education, health, development, identity, safety, permanency, and caregiver sustainability
- Assignments, due dates, progress, roster imports, and completion exports
- Media, printable summary, handouts, and accessible transcripts
- Knowledge checks, a stated passing rule, remediation, and a completion gate
- One downloadable, emailable, retrievable, and verifiable completion record per learner
- English and Spanish delivery plan, mobile support, and accommodations
- Agency acceptance matrix by course, version, audience, and hours
Los Angeles procurement benchmark
LA County's 2025-26 RFA training solicitation is useful evidence of the rigor a large county may expect: recent adult or parent education experience, qualified trainers, an experienced resource-parent co-trainer, county-approved curriculum, English and Spanish delivery, accessibility, background and personnel records, reporting, evaluation, and quality assurance.
This is a county-specific contract benchmark—not a statewide provider rule and not evidence that 101PD has been selected.
Open the LA County RFP (opens in a new tab)Controlling source: RFA Written Directives §§ 6-06 and 8-01 (opens in a new tab).