Foster parents, get your continuing education hours! Registration is now open for our free, full-day workshops. These workshops are sponsored by MCFD’s Specialized Homes & Support Services (SHSS) Transformation Team.
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FEBRUARY 16 – SURREY
Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel (15269 104 Ave, Surrey) from 8:00AM – 3:00PM
Fostering Inclusion: A Workshop on Providing Support for Children & Youth of the Global Majority in Foster Care (Black, Indigenous and Other Racialized Children/Youth)
The main objective of this workshop is to provide foster parents with the necessary knowledge and tools to support children and youth of the global majority in foster care. The workshop will specifically focus on the difficulties Black, Indigenous, and other racialized children/youth may experience and will also examine other identities – such as gender diversity, children with disabilities, and newcomers to the country – and how these multiple identities intersect and impact experiences in care and the world. The ultimate goal of the workshop is to increase foster parents’ awareness and understanding of intersectionality and to empower them to be allies and advocates for these children and youth.
Speaker: Ruth Unaegbu, MA RCC-ACS
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FEBRUARY 21 – VICTORIA
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Parenting Neurodiverse Children and Youth: Bridging Understanding with Science-driven Effective Strategies
This is a full-day workshop geared towards building parent and caregiver understanding of the traits of a neurodivergent child and how to support them in ways that show an understanding of who they are. Historically, more traditional parenting strategies are not always as effective when navigating the nuances of a neurodivergent child. Therefore, developing a deeper understanding helps bridge the knowledge of supportive and effective science-driven strategies.
Topics to be covered include:
- Understanding neurodiversity
- What is neurodiverse affirming mean in caregiving and avoiding an ableist approach
- Deeper dive into ADHD and Autism and Opposoitional Defiance Disorder
- Executive Function
- Emotions and regulation with a neurodivergent child
- School and how this impacts home for a neurodivergent child
- The role of connection
- Evidence-based strategies to support
- Building a collaborative toolbox
- Groups to connect with in the community
- Resources
Speaker: Michele Shilvock, M.Ed BCBA
Michele has a masters in special education and is a board certified behaviour analyst that has been practicing now for over 24 years and splits her time between her private practice supporting neurodivergent children, their families, and education teams. As an associate in collaborative paediatric practice in South Surrey, her focus is largely to support children with complex behaviours. As a clinician, she works closely with children, their families, and school-based teams, building out neurodiverse-affirming goals and strategies. Today, she splits her time between direct support to children, parent and caregiver coaching, education consultation, and public speaking engagements.
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