About Families are Forever

About Us

Families Are Forever™ (FAF) is an on-demand, interactive, educational platform designed to prepare families for foster care, kinship care and adoption and to provide resources for the professionals who support them.  Each course will immerse students in thought-provoking material vitally relevant to helping children heal and thrive. It’s our goal to introduce these subjects so that you are ready to engage with the child in your care and to become their informed and loving advocate.

FAF courses also support professionals working with families by deepening their knowledge about the impact of trauma on children, trauma-informed caregiving techniques, supporting healthy attachment, and returning children to their natural developmental trajectory. Whether you work with foster, kinship, or adoptive families, our courses offer insight, tangible tools and resources that will be helpful in your work.

Some of the topics addressed in FAF include: understanding child development, the effects of trauma, neurochemistry, sensory processing issues, parent attachment styles, benefits of secure attachment, and behavioral challenges. Families Are Forever also meets the Hague requirements for intercountry adoption.

“The training provided at Families Are Forever is really well done. It is comprehensive, holistic, and includes a variety of learning modalities. I like the way it engages the learner through thoughtful courses, questions, and assignments. It is a great preparation tool for caregivers who are going to foster or adopt.”

Casey Call, Ph.D.
LPC-S Assistant Director of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development

Providing Foundations for Parenting Children with Histories of Trauma

As you prepare to welcome a child with a history of trauma into your family, FAF 100-level courses will develop your core knowledge of trauma-informed caregiving, attachment, and child development through thought provoking articles, videos, and questions.

If you’d like to dive deeper, and learn more about how you can connect with, and bring healing to the child in your care, check out our ongoing and advanced education courses.

For families preparing for international or domestic adoption, these classes are taken as you complete your home study. After completing these courses, you’ve finished your pre-adoptive parent education and training. The international bundle is also Hague compliant. 

Learning to Connect and Bring Healing to the Child Coming Into Your Care

Level 200 courses take caregivers deeper into the subjects of bonding and attachment and the practical “how-tos” of caring for a child with a history of trauma using TBRI® – Trust-Based Relational Intervention® and other closely related materials. We recommend beginning this program once you are approved for foster care or kinship care or are matched with a child for adoption. These classes, while both practical and idea-rich, will add valuable insights into personalities and temperaments of each individual in your home. These classes offer helpful insight when you know a bit more about the child coming into your home. 

Additional Courses

Level 300 courses help you further your understanding about challenges that may be specific to the child in your care. These classes support families in increasing their knowledge of relevant topics, trauma-informed caregiving tools and cultural considerations that will enhance your ability to create healing and attachment in your home. For adoptive families, these courses provide helpful information as you consider the needs a specific child may have. These courses can be taken at any time. 

If you’d like to learn more, check out our additional resources page or meet our team.