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Self-Assessment GuideCORE TEEN CURRICULUM
In AcknowledgementOn behalf of the CORE Teen Partners, we would like to acknowledge and thank the many content experts, families,foster youth alumni and professionals who provided guidance on what content to include, the sites (Florida,Tennessee, Pennsylvania and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribe in North Carolina) who piloted this curriculumand provided candid feedback on how it could be edited, and the multitudes of families and foster youth alumniwho participated in the piloting of the curriculum; providing critical feedback on how it could be improved.This project was funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families,Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant#90CO1132. The contents of this material are solely the responsibility of the authors and do notnecessarily represent the official views of the Children’s Bureau.
CORE TEEN CURRICULUM: SELF-ASSESSMENT GUIDEThe CORE Teen Curriculum is comprised of three components: 1) Self-Assessment; 2) ClassroomTraining, and 3) Right Time Training. It was developed through a 3 year Foster/Adoptive ParentPreparation, Training and Development Initiative cooperative agreement with the Children’sBureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children andFamilies, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant #90CO1132. Projectpartners included Spaulding for Children; the ChildTrauma Academy; The Center for AdoptionSupport and Education; the North American Council on Adoptable Children; and the University ofWashington.The intent of the project was to develop a state of-the-art training program to equip resourceparents to meet the needs of older youth who have moderate to serious emotional and behaviorhealth challenges who require intensive and coordinated services and may be at risk for morerestrictive congregative care.
E XECUTIVE S UMMARYThe goal of the CORE Teen curriculum was to enhance existing methods used to prepare and support new and seasonedresource parents. By providing multiple opportunities to increase resource parent’s knowledge and skills, and bymaximizing the application of new knowledge and skills, families would be more accepting of older youth into theirhomes; maintain these placements and increase permanent resources for youth. The curriculum provides parents withinformation they need to develop safe relationships with the youth, while also focusing on how they can adapt theirparenting styles to support the youth’s needs, rather than just focusing on the behaviors. Core principles reflected in thecurriculum are: 1) children should be placed in the least restrictive setting as possible, with family being the mostpreferable; 2) children should not experience multiple moves; and 3) children should achieve permanence asexpeditiously as possible.Content from the CORE Teen curriculum can also be used to support staff education and retention, family recruitmentefforts, the licensing and home study process, support services, adoption preparation and post adoption services.THE CORE TEEN CURRICULUM:Helps caregivers understand how trauma has impacted the cognitiveand emotional development of the youth and how the youth mayrespond to those who are in parental role;Builds the self-awareness of the resource family, (foster,guardianship, kinship, or adoptive), to their strengths and challengeareas related to characteristics and competencies needed whenworking with older youth;Encourages self-reflection and open discussion among caregiversand their support systems;Trusts the resource parents to use provided resources to enhancetheir skills;Supports resource parents in adapting their parenting strategies tomeet the needs of the youth, rather than “fix” the youth;Highlights the root causes of behaviors rather than the behaviorsthemselves; andProvides resources that are available to the family when they needthem.
F LOW OF THE C URRICULUMThe CORE Teen curriculum is comprised of three components: 1) Self-Assessment; 2) Classroom Training, and 3) RightTime Training. Each of these three components work together to provide a multi-faceted approach to resource parenttraining.SELF-ASSESSMENTA self-assessment is not a test. It is a way to learn about your strengths, the areas that may requiresome additional strengthening and those areas that may cause you the most challenge. The CORE Teencurriculum self-assessment is based on characteristics and competencies that have been identified asimportant when parenting older youth who have experienced traumatic events within the child welfaresystem.The self-assessment is a vital part of the curriculum; supporting families in identifying theirindividualized strengths and areas of challenge. The hope is that parents will complete the selfassessment individually and then discuss the results with their parenting partners and support system.The self-assessment helps families to: Determine if they have the characteristics that are effective in working with this targetpopulation.Assess their current capacity and household functioning.Assess their need for ongoing training and likelihood of becoming a permanent resource.Provide a hint of what is to come in the classroom and right time training sessions.Pique their interest and curiosity about the curriculum content.Explore realistic expectations for themselves and reflect on what effect unrealisticexpectations have on them.Characteristics included in the self-assessment survey are: attunement, acceptance, adaptability /flexibility, appreciation, compassion, committed, honoring relationships / attachment, patience /perseverance, predictable / consistent, resiliency, realistic, security / self-acceptance, self-awareness /self-regulation, sense of humor, spirituality, supportive and trustworthiness.Competencies included in the self-assessment survey are: trauma informed resource parenting,continued connections, relationship development, regulation, parental adaptation, parental resiliency,culture, transitions, behavioral management and sexual orientation / gender identity and expression.CLASSROOM TRAININGThe second component is comprised of seven classroom-based training sessions. Each session will takeabout 2.5 hours to complete. The seven training sessions cover core skills, knowledge, andcompetencies families need to understand. A range of teaching strategies will be used during thetraining sessions; these include lecture, small and large group activities, resource review and videos. Apre and posttest is available and will allow you to measure growth during the classroom sessions.Self-Assessment Guide 3
Classroom content: Provides content that is specific to teens with both behavioral and emotional needsProvides opportunities to learn from each other in a classroom environmentStimulates conversations among parenting partners and/or support networksDevelops best parenting strategiesBuilds knowledge and skillsRIGHT TIME TRAININGThe third and last component is Right Time training. There are 8 Right Time training kits available toyou. Each kit contains a 20 – 30 minute video which includes the voices of content experts, families andfoster youth alumni. A discussion guide accompanies the video which families can do independently orwith a worker.What did parents have to say after participating in the pilotCORE Teen Curriculum?IT HELPED ME TOTAKE A STEP BACK.This training is theBEST TRAININGon teens.I learned thatI NEEDED TO BE CALMIf I had this training before, Imight not have had to disruptmy previous teen, I might havehad the skills to work through it.before I could even begin towork with my teen.Self-Assessment Guide 4
S ELF -A SSESSMENT O VERVIEWIt helped me preparefor what I didn’t seecoming. CORE Teen ParticipantResearch has consistently shown that stable, nurturing relationships withadults can help buffer trauma’s impact. According to The Northwest FosterCare Alumni Study (Pecora et al., 2005), youth who had placement stability(e.g., few placement changes, no reunification failures, and no runawayepisodes) had a 22% decrease in negative mental health outcomes. Placementstability that entails a consistent, caring adult can be a critical factor in helpingyouth heal and succeed in their endeavors. However, placement stability canbe difficult to obtain with older youth with more challenging behaviors. Whencaregivers engage in a self-assessment process prior to taking youth in theirhome, especially older youth with more challenging behaviors, the likelihoodof placement stability can be improved.The first year of the CORE Teen project was focused on identifying those competencies and characteristics that wereneeded for families to be successful in parenting teens with more challenging behaviors. The partner team completed anextensive literature review (over 200 publications), reviewed 20 evidence-based or evidence-informed curricula,conducted both interviews and focus groups of more than 60 persons to include caregivers, foster youth alumni andprofessionals, and interviewed an additional 11 content experts to identify initial competencies and characteristics.These activities resulted in the team identifying 199 non-duplicative competencies that could be included in thecurriculum. Recognizing no curriculum could fulfill 199 competencies, the group used a consensus building process(Delphi process) to prioritize and rank the 199 competencies and validate characteristics that needed to be included inthe curriculum. This process reduced the competencies from 199 to 38 and confirmed 30 characteristics; identifying theframework for the three components of the curriculum. Of these, 17 competencies and 10 characteristics are measuredin the CORE Teen self-assessment.The self-assessment is designed to be the first step in the learning process and begins with a survey designed todetermine caregiver strengths and challenge areas when it comes to parenting teens with more challenging behaviors.Families of all experience levels can benefit from the self-assessment process. The self-assessment process will helpfamilies to: Determine if they have the characteristics that are effective in working with this target population.Assess their current capacity and household functioning.Assess their need for ongoing training and likelihood of becoming a permanent resource.Provide a hint of what is to come in the classroom and right time training sessions.Pique their interest and curiosity about the curriculum content.Explore realistic expectations for themselves and reflect on what effect unrealistic expectations have on them.The self-assessment is not designed to “rule out” families, but rather help resource parents identify critical barriers andgaps that should be addressed and strengths that can be leveraged. It also enables resource parents to reflect on andevaluate their motivation, preparedness, and current knowledge base. When shared with agency staff, the informationgained from assessments may help the agency identify services and supports to meet the family’s identified needs.Self-Assessment Guide 5
S ELF -A SSESSMENT A REASThe Self-Assessment survey is divided into two sections: characteristics and competencies. The 17 characteristics and 10competencies described and measured in the survey are a sampling of those that were found to be essential whenparenting older youth.Characteristics included in the self-assessment survey are: attunementacceptanceadaptability g relationships / attachmentpatience /perseverancepredictable / consistentresiliencyrealisticsecurity / self-acceptanceself-awareness /self-regulationsense of cies included in the self-assessment survey are: trauma informed resource parentingcontinued connectionsrelationship developmentregulationparental adaptationparental resiliencyculturetransitionsbehavioral managementsexual orientation / gender identity and expressionFamilies shared that the selfassessment helped themunderstand theircharacteristics and skillsbased on the scoring andfeedback provided.They also found value inseeing if their scoreschanged from before theclassroom instruction toafter. Self-AssessmentFeedback from FamiliesThe self-assessment survey is completed at the beginning of the process and takes approximately one hour to complete.The Appendix to this guide contains the content of the Self-Assessment Feedback and Guidance for Resource Families,including the survey questions for each competency and characteristic.Self-Assessment Guide 6
S CORING THE S ELF -A SSESSMENTThere are no right and wrong answers to survey questions; rather, the results are intended to allow caregivers tounderstand their strengths as well as areas where improvements can be made so that they can be as effective as possiblein parenting foster/adopted youth in a manner that improves their physical, mental and educational well-being. Theresults should be kept confidential and only available to the caregiver. The goal is for the caregiver to learn as much asthey can about themselves in the process.Caregivers are asked to respond to questions using the following scale:1 not at all like me2 not like me3 somewhat not like me4 somewhat like me5 like me6 a lot like meScores in the range of 5 or 6 reflect the highest levels of skill or competence in the area. These are competencies andcharacteristics where the caregiver a) is most able to show an understanding of the topic, b) has beliefs that supporteffective parenting, and c) can respond with behaviors that lead to good outcomes.Scores in the 3 and 4 range indicate that the caregiver does not feel they have mastered those skills. Caregivers scoringin this range have some level of competence in the area, or feel like that skill is only “somewhat like” or “somewhat notlike” them.Scores in the 1 and 2 range indicate lack of confidence in current knowledge and skill level for that area. In order toenhance these characteristics or competencies, caregivers may benefit from more training and skills practice.Self-Assessment Guide 7
U SING S ELF -A SSESSMENT R ESULTSAfter the parent completes the survey, they receive immediate feedback identifying their results. After caregivers receivetheir results, it is recommended that they select three to five areas to focus on.Throughout the process, caregivers are provided with information that can help them consider their scores incomparison to what might be the “gold standard”. This information can guide the development of personal goals forimprovement. The assessment identifies resources and activities caregivers can use to enhance those areas where theyare most challenged.Caregivers should be encouraged to talk openly with their parenting partner or support network about the results of theirassessment. This will help the caregiver identify the best co-parenting strategies, using the strengths of all and acceptingthat no one parent can do it all.The self-assessment can be used at multiple points to track the caregivers learning and assist the caregiver in continuingthe process of growth over time. During the piloting of CORE Teen, parents completed the self-assessment three times.The first was prior to any exposure to curriculum content, the second immediately followed the completion of theclassroom instruction, and the third occurred 90 days after completing the classroom training.While individual self-assessment results should be kept confidential and only be available to the caregiver. A nonidentifying report of the assessment results can be prepared for the trainer of the classroom content, highlighting thelearning needs of the participants. This can help to prepare the trainer and pinpoint those areas of the classroomcontent that may require some additional time or focus.The self-assessment may also have additional applications such as: providing insights during a family’s home study process,serving as a review during a re-certification process,Providing insight following a placement disruption to identify what competencies and/or characteristics weremost challenged and identify plans to address or support further growth,supporting the matching process between parents and youth,reviewing after a placement has occurred and relate the results specifically to the needs of the youth,identifying future training needs for families, andidentifying topics / themes for support groups and staff development and retention.Self-Assessment Guide 8
A PPENDIX : S ELF -A SSESSMENT F EEDBACK ANDG UIDANCE FOR R ESOURCE P ARENTSSELF-ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCEFor Resource ParentsThe self-assessment allows you to learn about different characteristics and competencies that may be important whenparenting teens with emotional and behavioral needs. It can help you determine which ones are already strengths andwhich ones this training may help to strengthen. The goal is for you to learn as much as you can about yourself.The results of the self-assessment are confidential and only available to you. Our hope is that you chose to talk openlywith your parenting partner or support network about the results. This will help you to identify the best co-parentingstrategies, using the strengths of all and accepting that no one parent can do it all.The survey will take approximately one hour to complete. It is divided into two sections: characteristics andcompetencies. You will be asked to respond to questions using the scale1 not at all like me2 not like me3 somewhat not like me4 somewhat like me5 like me6 a lot like meThere are no right and wrong answers; only you can know what your starting point is, what is acceptable to you, andwhat you could improve so that you can be as effective as possible in parenting your foster/adopted youth, and improvetheir physical, mental and educational well-being.In general, you can think about scores in the range of 5 or 6 as reflecting that you have the highest levels of skill orcompetence in the area. These are competencies and characteristics where you a) are most able to show anunderstanding of the topic, b) have beliefs that support effective parenting, and c) can respond with behaviors that leadto good outcomes.Scores in the 3 and 4 range indicate that you do not feel you have mastered those skills. You have some level ofcompetence in the area, or you feel like that skill is only “somewhat like” you or “somewhat not like” youScores in the 1 and 2 range indicate that you are not confident in your current knowledge and skill level for that area. Inorder to enhance these characteristics or competencies, you may benefit from more training and skills practice.After you receive your results, it is recommended that you select 3 to 5 areas to focus on. You can always add more areaslater, but for now, you are likely to be most successful if you pick your biggest priority areas.Self-Assessment Guide 9
CHARACTERISTICS SELF-ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK AND GUIDANCEThe purpose of this guidance document is for you to think about your scores and compare them to what might be the“gold standard,” as well as what you have as your personal goals for improvement. In other words, you can compareyour scores to where you might want them to be and consider ways that you can improve them. This document includesa framework for understanding your score in each characteristic, guidance about where and when your characteristicscan be most useful in parenting and helping your teen heal, and strategies for how you can improve your scores andcharacteristics in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.CHARACTERISTIC #1 – ATTUNEMENTDEFINITION:The ability to be aware of, understand, and be sensitive to the specific responses and needs of a youth at any given time,despite the degree to which the youth expresses or does not express these needs directly. Being in tune with moods,exhaustion, hunger, rhythms, responses, and needs for physical contact, affection, security, stimulation, and movement,with the goal of building a trusting environment. Being sensitive and empathic and staying regulated while helping theyouth regulate their emotions.SURVEY ITEMS:1. I believe teens need affection and caring, even when they appear to reject it.2. I have a hard time knowing what people are feeling unless they tell me directly.3. I strive to understand what others are feeling.4. I believe that youth may have intense and complex feelings that may be reflected in their behavior.5. When youth “act out,” I try to figure out what triggered the behavior.6. I am good at anticipating how youth will respond to difficult situations.7. Our family members are comfortable expressing their feelings for one another.FEEDBACK ON YOUR ATTUNEMENT SCORE:Low Score ResponseMedium Score Response(scores in 1-2 range)(scores in 3-4 range)Low scores indicate you have anopportunity to learn more aboutattunement. There are a number ofsteps you can take right away toimprove in this area. If you spendsome time on the exercises below,your abilities to connect with yourteen and be an effective caregiver willgrow quickly.You have some basic attunementskills – a great place to start! Makeuse of the exercises and resourcesbelow to help grow your abilities torecognize the subtle messages yourteen is sending and you will find thatyou are more and more effective as acaregiver.High Score Response(scores in 5-6 range)You demonstrate a strongunderstanding of the importance ofnoticing a child’s signals, interpretingthese signals correctly, andresponding to these signals promptlyand appropriately. You are able to“read” signals and can determine themeaning of these, even when thenuances of these cues are subtle,minimal, and understated. Continueyour good work by using thestrategies and resources below.Self-Assessment Guide 10
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS CHARACTERISTIC:Attunement is key to relationship development. The more attuned you are to your teen, the more you can build a strongand trusting relationship with them. For a child who has experienced significant trauma in their past, having a caregiverwho is attuned to them may be a new experience, so be patient and keep working at it. You may be able to help othercaregivers understand the benefits of attunement. Pay attention to your interactions with others and make note ofspecific examples where you used your attunement skills. During the classroom modules where attunement is discussed,consider sharing your experiences and viewpoints with your class mates. After you have spent some time practicing yourattunement skills, see if you can notice whether you are connecting with others in a different way. Consider talking aboutthis during the classroom sessions or with your worker.STRATEGIES TO STRENGTHEN THIS CHARACTERISTIC:Attunement is critical for relationship development. Without strengths in this area, it will be very challenging for you tomake the connections necessary to the child, particularly when the child has experienced significant trauma as part oftheir past history. Test yourself to see if you have any of the classic difficulties:You are always multitasking. This makes it impossible to truly listen to someone when your attention is divided.Multitask when you’re alone, but when communicating with others, stop and listen.You often ask people to repeat what they just said, or state “I’m sorry, what did you say” or use a distracted “uhhuh”. Today’s world is full of distractions and demands. It takes less time to listen to a child/youth the first timeand it strengthens your connection to them.Select one or more of the following activities to help you practice this characteristic.Exercise #1: Each time someone enters the room, practice stopping what you are doing, look up, and make eyecontact or greet the other person. When talking to others in your family, give them your full attention and avoidmulti-tasking. Observe what you notice in the other person as a result of being more attentive to them.Exercise #2: The next time someone in your family says something you don't agree with, make at least oneattempt to understand their perspective better before sharing your view. Pay attention to their reaction andcompare this to reactions you notice when you have not taken this extra time to express interest in their views.RESOURCES:Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children: Consequences of Emotional Neglect in Childhood by Bruce D. Perry,M.D., Ph.D. Retrieved from: /Bonding 13.pdfVideos about the importance of attunement include: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v bG89Qxw30BM;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v bF3j5UVCSCA;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v rgWnadSi91s.Self-Assessment Guide 11
CHARACTERISTIC #2 – ACCEPTANCEDEFINITION:An understanding and a sense of respect for youth who bring a different set of values with them. They are able toreconcile that the youth’s behaviors and values may not align with their personal values and that this will feeluncomfortable and at times very wrong. They know that if not resolved/accepted, this can be a real source of discontent,tension and conflict.SURVEY ITEMS:1. I can accept different types of individuals for who they are, even when this is difficult.2. I respect other people’s values and opinions even if they are different than mine.3. A teen would feel welcomed and respected in my family (includes both family members living in the home andfamily members living outside the home you regularly interact with).4. I help my family living with me understand and appreciate differences in people.FEEDBACK ON YOUR ACCEPTANCE SCORE:Low Score ResponseMedium Score Response(scores in 1-2 range)(scores in 3-4 range)You have a great opportunity to usethe CORE Teen learning experiencesto explore the importance of listeningand communicating with those whoview the world differently than you.You can practice trying to understandthe viewpoints of others withouttrying to convince others of yourviews.You understand that there are manydifferent views of the word andsituations. Take advantage of refiningthis skill by practicing becomingcomfortable accepting the ways inwhich youth from a variety ofbackgrounds are different from you.High Score Response(scores in 5-6 range)You are probably comfortable withthose who view the world differentlyand appreciate how a variety oflearning experiences result indifferent interpretations of situations.Use this to help your youthunderstand their own history andbackground, and ways in whichpeople within your family aredifferent from each other.UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS CHARACTERISTIC:There is a critical relationship between the level of acceptance and support a youth receives and their personal wellbeing. Acceptance does not mean you have to agree with their view or would choose it. Acceptance is a process that youactively practice. You will probably not wake up one day and accept a situation that you have not put effort intoaccepting. It will be distressing, painful, and frustrating. As you practice acceptance toward someone or something,practice some compassion toward yourself alongside acceptance.STRATEGIES TO STRENGTHEN THIS CHARACTERISTIC:Take time to listen to other’s opinions and acknowledge them, while also being confident to express your own. Listeningto other’s opinions doesn’t mean you have to deviate from your own firmly held viewpoint, although a diverse opinion toyour own can sometimes make you think about things in a new light. This is all part of a maturing of the mind. It’s notabout convincing others that you are right or about them convincing you that they’re right but simply a matter of beingunderstood and an acceptance that you might agree to disagree.Getting to truly know a new person who we may feel is quite different than us can be a very rewarding experience. It’strue that when we’re looking to make friends or start relationships we tend to gravitate towards people we believe aresimilar in outlook to ourselves but in restricting ourselves to that mindset, we can often miss out on many interestingexperiences.Self-Assessment Guide 12
RESOURCES:Hall, R., Moore, D. Vincent, L (2006) Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and theUnlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together. Nelson Thomas Inc.Andrew Solomon – Love no matter what https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew solomon love no matter what5 important reasons why we should accept other people’s differences by Seline s-differences/Accept them as they are, by Rick Henson PhD, Your Wise Brain, Psychology Today. October 13, nt Guide 13
CHARACTERISTIC #3 – ADAPTABILITY / FLEXIBILITYDEFINITION:The willingness and ability to make changes in their parenting style/responses to be accommodating, encouraging, andsupportive to the needs of the youth. They share the responsibility of caring for children and are not restricted by typicalmale/female, adult/child, or conventional kinship roles. Successful resource parents are comfortable acknowledgingwhen something isn’t working and able to try a different approach, or modify the expectation to the needs of differentyouth based on their experienced physical and emotional trauma.SURVEY ITEMS:1. I am flexible with rules when a situation calls for it.2. I am able to recognize and adjust when a parenting technique isn't working.3. I am open to new ideas and techniques.4. I take time to watch and think about why my foster children do what they do.FEEDBACK ON YOUR ADAPTABILITY / FLEXIBILITY SCORE:Low Score ResponseMedium Score Response(scores in 1-2 range)(scores in 3-4 range)You may fi
CORE TEEN CURRICULUM: SELF-ASSESSMENT GUIDE The CORE Teen Curriculum is comprised of three components: 1) Self-Assessment; 2) Classroom Training, and 3) Right Time Training.
