We offer two distinct classes for people who are considering adoption through the state of Vermont:

    1. Fostering to Forever– For foster or kinship (relative) caregivers who are adopting or transitioning to permanent guardianship after foster care.
    2. Families Forever– For caregivers who are adopting or transitioning to permanent guardianship after a CCO (Conditional Custody Order).

(1) FOSTERING TO FOREVER

“Fostering to Forever” is a 3½ hour long class about the unique challenges and special rewards of adopting through the Vermont foster care system. It reviews important topics, such as:

    • Preparing for the Transition
    • Connecting with state and local resources
    • Lifelong Issues in Adoption or Guardianship
    • What’s DIFFERENT & What’s the SAME??
    • Talking about Adoption
    • Working with your child’s birth family
    • Claiming the newest member of your family

The class is strongly recommended for any caregiver who hopes to adopt through the state of Vermont. The class is REQUIRED if you will be requesting an Adoption Assistance Agreement, and the class must be completed before your agreement can be submitted to the state for approval.

In-person and virtual classes are held multiple times throughout the year in various locations throughout the state. Contact Emma Baird at ebaird@uvm.edu or 802-656-3376 to enroll. Please note that email enrollment for this course is strongly preferred!

Alternative Online Option:

Taking the class in person is preferred as it allows you to meet local providers, get your questions answered directly, meet and learn from other class participants, as well as share your own knowledge.  However, if it is not possible for you to take the in-person class, you may take the online version of the class. Following are instructions for taking the online class:

Online Instructions:

        1. Go to this website: training.vermontcwtp.org
        2. Register for an account (or login if you already have one)
        3. Enroll in “FOSTERING TO FOREVER” with enrollment key: F2forever

For video tutorial about enrolling in online courses, go to:
https://youtu.be/WNPGhU9VW_Y

Go to the Fostering to Forever Training

(2) FAMILIES FOREVER

This online (only) class is designed specifically for families that are adopting a child or youth after the Conditional Custody Order (CCO) process OR who are moving from CCO to Permanent Guardianship. It takes between 3 and 4 hours to complete and covers the following topics:

  • Preparing for the Transition
  • Connecting with state and local resources
  • Lifelong Issues in Adoption or Guardianship
  • What’s DIFFERENT & What’s the SAME??
  • Talking about Adoption
  • Working with your extended family and the child’s birth parents
  • Claiming the newest member of your family

This class is strongly recommended for any CCO caregiver. It is REQUIRED if you will be requesting an Adoption Assistance Agreement, and the class must be completed before your agreement can be submitted to the state for approval.

Online Enrollment Instructions:

    1. Go to this website: training.vermontcwtp.org
    2. Register for an account (or login if you already have one)
    3. Enroll in “FAMILIES FOREVER”
    4. Use the enrollment key: FFcwtp

For video tutorial about enrolling in online course, go to:
https://youtu.be/WNPGhU9VW_Y

Go to the FAMILIES FOREVER Training