Trauma-informed training supported by $30,000 grant, available statewide
August 31, 2020 (New Orleans, LA) ā Crossroads NOLA ā a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization that recruits, equips and supports foster families ā is adapting to the COVID-19 outbreak by moving its trauma-informed training programs online. The Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRIĀ®) courses will help to meet the additional needs of foster families and support systems, including the effects of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of kids in foster care.
Before the pandemic, Crossroads NOLA conducted TBRIĀ® training sessions in person for foster families, educators, social workers, counselors, court staff and more. This evidence-based, trauma-informed training teaches adults to look beyond the behaviors of traumatized children and address the needs behind them, and has dramatically shifted the approach of many systems that support children in foster care with great success.
The move to online and more broadly accessible training is not only a response to social distancing requirements, but also to the pandemicās effects on the mental well-being of children in foster care, explains Crossroads NOLAās executive director, Anna Palmer:
āCOVID-19 did not change the need for stable homes to care for the unique needs of children in foster care or for caregivers and professionals equipped with the tools to meet those needs. However, we are concerned that vulnerable children who have already experienced trauma are becoming more at-risk due to the stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic.”
This essential pivot to online leaning was funded by a Community Crisis and Disaster Response grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation.
āCrossroads NOLA has been one of several Louisiana organizations who have been instrumental in equipping caregivers and others who work with children who have experienced trauma. We are grateful to them for adapting and finding ways to continue to continue this essential work for children during a challenging season,ā said Michael Tipton, president of the Blue Cross Foundation.
Caregivers and professionals can sign up for TBRIĀ® training online
Those interested in TBRIĀ® training online can sign up for one of several weekly sessions at https://crossroadsnola.org/tbri-fridays-register/
Crossroads NOLA is also leading the charge to elevate the level of care children and families in Louisiana receive by making training in Trust-Based Relational InterventionĀ®, an evidence-based caregiving model, available and accessible to individuals and organizations throughout the state. The training is available to foster parents and those who work in school systems, juvenile detention facilities, nonprofits, and state agencies to implement trauma-competent policy, practice, and decision-making.
Crossroads NOLA is dedicated to serving vulnerable children and families in Louisiana by recruiting a community of people – foster parents, caregivers, and professionals and equipping them with tools to help children overcome trauma and grow up in whole and thriving families.