On-Demand Webinars

LSS Kinship Family Support Services understands that accessing learning opportunities when caring for a family can be difficult.

Below are some free, on-demand webinars that provide kinship caregivers with resources to understand the kinship family experience, its challenges, and how to support the health and wellness of caregivers and children.

Free, On-Demand Webinars:

• Kinship Resources: Accessing County Services (1 video) webinar will explore different county services that may be available to you as a kinship caregiver.  The webinar will also go in-depth on the steps needed to access these resources. This helpful information can provide a basic guideline for determining the best fit for your situation.

• Know Your Rights: Kinship Families (1 video) This presentation is for relative and kin families who are interested in being a permanency resource for a child in foster care they know and love. It also may be helpful for attorneys who represent kin, as well as other professionals working in the child welfare system who want to understand the law and their obligations in light of recent changes to Minnesota law.

• Custody Options for Kinship Caregivers (1 video) is a webinar designed for kinship caregivers and others who are considering their legal options in caring for a friend’s or relative’s child. Emily Cooper from Cooper Law, LLC, weighs in on what options are available from Delegation of Parental Rights, de facto or interested third party custody and standby guardianship to custody consent decree, adoption and Child In Need of Protective Services (CHIPS). This helpful information can provide a basic guideline for determining the best fit for your situation.

• Relative Kin Foster Parent Orientation (6 videos) is for individuals who are considering providing foster care for their relative’s child or children. The orientation contains six sections on a variety of topics like the process of getting started, understanding trauma and helping children heal. It is presented by the Quality Parenting Initiative Minnesota (QPI-MN) Relative-Kin Action Workgroup. Our sincere thanks to The Brookdale Foundation for its generous support in making this programming possible.

• Kinship Care: Focus on the Children (1 video) is designed for kinship caregivers and others who are interested in learning an overview of kinship care. Explore who a kinship caregiver is, as well as why and how children come to be in kinship care. We also cover the impacts, benefits and challenges of kinship care, resources and support for children and caregivers, and strategies for supporting children — especially those affected by trauma.

• Hard Start, Bright Future (1 video) is designed for kinship caregivers and others who interact with children being raised by family members and friends. This training can be completed in just over a half an hour. It includes valuable information about early childhood brain development, as well as tips for caregivers to foster healthy development and attachment with children who have experienced loss and trauma.

• Kinship and Relative Adoption: What You Need to Know (1 video) is designed for kinship caregivers and others who are interested in learning about foster care and kinship/relative adoption. Join us in exploring how children come into foster care, the reasons for placing children with relatives and kin, the right time to provide foster care and/or become a permanency option for a child, and other helpful services and supports.

• Insights for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Tune in to an hour-long show on MPR With Angela Davis that features three experts who provide helpful insights on the changing dynamics of raising grandchildren -- including trends, parenting techniques and resources available. Experts include Janet Salo, family specialist with LSS Kinship Family Support Services, Megan Dolbin-MacNab, PhD, associate professor of marriage and family therapy at Virginia Tech and Karen Ritz with Grandycamp.