Training Opportunities for Affiliates
Accessing training from our certified trainers and Healthy Families America (HFA) national office staff is one of the great benefits of being an affiliate.
HFA Core Trainings
Foundations for Family Support Core Training
Foundations for Family Support (FFS) is an in-depth, formalized training required for all home visitors, supervisors, and program managers. The training outlines the specific duties of the home visitor in their role within HFA. Topics include, but are not limited to: trauma-informed practice; communication skills; assessing, addressing, and promoting positive parent-child relationships; creating a trusting alliance with families; goal setting; and strategies to enhance family functioning, address difficult situations, and ensure healthy childhood development.
Family Resource and Opportunities for Growth (FROG) Scale Training
Healthy Families is a relationship-based model, which means that building a relationship with each family becomes the foundation for the work we do with them. By inviting parents to share their stories with us, we engage them in the process of building the relationship. The most effective way of doing that is by having a conversation, since research shows that conversation builds trust—and trust is essential for a healthy relationship. The FROG (Family Resource and Opportunities for Growth) Scale is a structured tool for learning another person’s story, understanding the strengths and challenges that affect that person, and setting the stage for a family’s entry into what will be a supportive, meaningful relationship as a part of Healthy Families.
Supervisor Core Training
This training provides supervisors and program managers detailed information about implementing the HFA model and specifically addresses the supervisory needs of home visitors, along with professional development and quality improvement mechanisms.
Supervisor Core has two components – one tied to Foundations (FFS) training, and the other tied to FROG training.
Implementation Training
Implementation training is an opportunity to become intensely immersed in HFA, the expectations of the model, and the responsibilities of an HFA leader, all while developing relationships with national office staff and a network of support from other program manager colleagues throughout the country. Participants will also receive a newly updated HFA site development guide and access to other resources aimed at making a program manager’s work easier.
- Upon completion of this training, you will be able to:Describe the Healthy Families America mission, vision, goals and logic model, and the function of the HFA National Office for program implementation.
- Recognize the benefits of and process of accreditation for HFA programs.
- Explain the responsibilities of an HFA leader in relationship to implementation science.
- Navigate the HFA Best Practice Standards manual, including the layout of the standards and supporting materials such as the glossary and tables of documentation.
- Interpret the HFA Best Practice Standards, including the reasons behind them and opportunities for flexibility in implementation.
- Assure quality implementation of the HFA Best Practice Standards for their program or system.
Are these trainings required?
FFS is required for direct service staff (those who conduct home visits).
FROG is required anyone who uses the FROG tool with families.
These are week-long online trainings and can only be administered by HFA certified trainers.
Direct service staff must receive these trainings within six months of hire.
All supervisors and program managers need BOTH Family Resource and Opportunities for Growth (FROG) Scale Training and Foundations for Family Support (FFS) core trainings, as well as Supervisor Core Training.
Program Managers are required to attend Implementation Training.
Implementation Training, FFS, and FROG trainings, as provided by our national office team, are each $700.00 per person. Supervisor training is another $430 total.
Online training to support new staff
Wraparound Training
Wraparound training complements CORE training and covers the additional training topics necessary to support home visiting staff in their duties, as well as meet the HFA best practice standards.
For current affiliates, you can find more information here on Wraparound Trainings and how to access them.
Additional professional development opportunities for HFA affiliates
Great Beginnings Start before Birth
This course is designed to prepare home visitors to support prenatal parents, We know that supporting families during the prenatal period is critical; it is a window of opportunity for the home visitor to establish a trusting relationship and focus intently on the parents. This is a time to learn about the hopes, dreams, worries, and fears that having a new baby may bring. This training is based on best practice standards, with a special emphasis on the psycho-social issues facing expectant parents, and the prenatal growth and development of their baby. Home visitors will learn how to help parents enhance prenatal bonding, stimulate brain development and reduce stress, thereby increasing healthy mother/baby birth outcomes.
Facilitating Change
This course is designed to prepare Healthy Families America staff for supporting families with working toward change.
Peer Reviewer Training
This training will simulate all of the activities necessary to complete an accreditation site visit, beginning with an initial and thorough review of a self study (selected standards only), file review, interview scenarios, entrance and exit meetings, etc. Being a peer reviewer provides many unique opportunities for professional development, and going through training is the first step.
Customized Training & Technical Assistance
Given the comprehensive nature of the model, many HFA sites find that staff benefit from additional training or technical assistance on a variety of topics to further advance their knowledge and skills. HFA national staff are available to deliver customized training focused on specialized content areas and/or provide individually tailored support to staff.
Go for it—personally, it has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career.
FAQs about additional professional development opportunities
Here are the costs for HFA’s additional training opportunities:
Great Beginnings Start before Birth: $650 per person
Facilitating Change
$650 per person
Customized training & technical assistance
Please contact us for a quote.
Want to contact us?
Interested in learning more about our home visiting programs or helping transform childhoods and communities? Get in touch—we’ll respond as quickly as we can.