On March 28, the staff from The Ranches traveled to Portales to join with other child care workers from New Mexico and Arizona to participate in a three-day training program sponsored by the New Mexico Christian Child Care Association and Eastern New Mexico University.
For a number of years, the Association has worked to develop a professional training course designed specifically for people working in residential group care. The goal of the project has been to provide continuing education credits (CEUs) for individuals who are committed to providing this type of service long term.
Nationally, the average tenure for staff serving as houseparents in residential group homes is three to six months. For children who have experienced abandonment and difficulties in the home that result in placement in a group home, turnover of staff is often devastating and reinforces the frustrations and hurt already experienced by these young people. NMCCCA hopes that providing a professional certification process for workers will increase the effectiveness of the services for hurting children that will allow them to experience a more predictable and consistent environment while they are in placement.
The staff who attended this conference were able to obtain up to 16 hours of continuing education credits toward a certificate in Professional Child Care training.
Topics included: recognizing and meeting basic needs, multiple risk factors in children, abandonment, grief and loss, family cultures, substance abuse, medication abuse, building relationships and providing accountability for children, communication and healthy expressions of anger.
