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, course plan, and provider path
California requires caregiver learning before and after approval, but the accepting county or foster family agency controls the provider, course, format, and credited hours. This page separates the rule from 101PD's planned course and approval work.
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. The eventual 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.
California course roadmap
Ten course shells are ready for original lessons, assessments, and agency review.
The information architecture is complete. None of these shells is for sale, open for enrollment, or represented as accepted training until content, expert review, learning controls, and agency acceptance are in place.
Pre-approvalCourse shell planned
California RFA Pre-Approval Foundations
12-hour curriculum shell
A California-specific foundation mapped to the statewide pre-approval topics in the RFA Written Directives.
Intended audience
Applicants beginning Resource Family Approval
- Explain the child welfare and probation systems
- Use trauma-informed and positive-discipline principles
- Protect rights, connections, education, health, and permanency
Internal slug: ca-rfa-preapproval-12hr
Annual learningCourse shell planned
California Resource Parent Annual Learning Plan
8-hour curriculum shell
A flexible annual pathway that can be aligned to the needs and case plan of a child already placed in the home.
Intended audience
Approved resource parents completing annual learning
- Refresh required California caregiver topics
- Document topic, learner, completion date, and hours
- Create an annual plan with the RFA worker
Internal slug: ca-foster-annual-8hr
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Trauma-Informed Care in Everyday Parenting
Topic course shell
Connect trauma, grief, loss, and development to practical co-regulation and caregiver responses.
Intended audience
Prospective and approved resource parents
- Recognize trauma signals
- Respond without escalating
- Plan caregiver support
Internal slug: foster-trauma-informed
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Attachment, Connection, and Family Relationships
Topic course shell
Support safe connection while honoring birth-family relationships, culture, identity, and permanency goals.
Intended audience
Foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers
- Build felt safety
- Support family time
- Avoid loyalty conflicts
Internal slug: foster-attachment
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders for Caregivers
Topic course shell
Use brain-based, strengths-focused supports without attempting diagnosis or replacing clinical care.
Intended audience
Caregivers supporting children with prenatal alcohol exposure
- Recognize support needs
- Adapt expectations
- Coordinate with professionals
Internal slug: foster-fasd
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Behavior Support Without Shame or Harm
Topic course shell
Translate behavior into needs, use positive discipline, and create predictable, developmentally appropriate routines.
Intended audience
Resource parents seeking practical parenting tools
- Identify likely needs
- Use proactive supports
- Document patterns and progress
Internal slug: foster-behavior
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Allegations, Incident Reporting, and Caregiver Records
Topic course shell
Prepare for reporting duties, neutral documentation, investigations, and support after a complaint or serious incident.
Intended audience
Approved resource parents
- Know when to call the worker
- Write objective records
- Respond without retaliation
Internal slug: foster-allegations
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Education Advocacy, School Stability, and IEP Basics
Topic course shell
Coordinate school stability, records, educational decision-making, and special-education support within the caregiver role.
Intended audience
Caregivers supporting school-age children and youth
- Prepare for school meetings
- Track education needs
- Coordinate with rights holders
Internal slug: foster-education-iep
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Kinship Caregiving Essentials
Topic course shell
Address family-role changes, boundaries, emergency placement, grief, benefits, and the RFA process through a kinship lens.
Intended audience
Relative and nonrelative extended family caregivers
- Map changing family roles
- Set child-centered boundaries
- Ask about emergency supports
Internal slug: foster-kinship
Specialized topicCourse shell planned
Transitions, Reunification, and Enduring Connections
Topic course shell
Support children before, during, and after reunification, adoption, guardianship, respite, or another planned transition.
Intended audience
Caregivers preparing for placement changes or permanency
- Prepare developmentally
- Preserve relationships
- Create a transition record
Internal slug: foster-transitions
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).