Course Benefits

What You Will Learn
  • Strategies to develop communication with biological family and facilitate meetings
  • Personal stories from expert foster parents
  • Pitfalls and roadblocks you may encounter

What You Will Get
  • Tools to evaluate your personal ability to create a ministry to biological parents
  • Creative ideas for busy parents
  • Tips on boundaries during engagement

Course Curriculum

    1. Shared Parenting: A definition

    2. Biblical Basis

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Check Your Motivation

    2. The First Contact

    3. Interpersonal Communication

    4. Support and Proper Boundaries

    5. Greater Parental Engagement

    6. Creative Ideas

    1. Final Thoughts

    2. Our Contributors

    3. Final Assesment

    4. End of Course Evaluation

About this course

  • $20.00
  • 12 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

Meet Your Instructors

Michelle Lunka

MS, LAMFT, TBRI® Practitioner

Michelle currently serves as the Family Services Director for Christian Family Care. Michelle is also a trainer and Child & Family Therapist with CFC. She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and is a TBRI Practitioner. Michelle has worked in foster care and adoption for over 10 years. She has been a foster parent for several years as well.

Shelly Utzke

Foster Care Program Manager

Before becoming the Statewide Director of Foster Care, Shelly served as a Foster Family Specialist, Coordinator, Supervisor, and then the Program Manager at Christian Family Care. Before her employment with CFC, she spent 14 years at A New Leaf serving youth and families. Shelly and her husband fostered children for 25 years and have adopted two children. Shelly earned her associate’s in Early Childhood Development, a bachelor’s in Psychology, and is close to completing her Master’s in Management.

What People Are Saying

“I really liked the suggestions of how to engage with bio-parents and how to actively engage parent and child.”

Peter, Dad

“Hearing all these testimonials was outstanding.”

Armando, Educator

“I liked the practical ideas of ways to connect with birth families, and good reminders that it extends to other birth family members as well, not just mom and dad.”

Alice, Grandparent

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who should take this course?

    This course is for caregivers who: a) Are not afraid of engaging in the lives of the bio family of the children they care for and b) Want specific tools and tips to create an intentional ministry for these families.

  • Will I receive a certificate of completion for the course?

    Yes! Every course comes with a certificate of completion that has been approved by the Arizona Department of Child Safety when the last lesson is reached. This certificate will have the learner's name, the title of the course, the credit hours, and the date of completion.

  • Can I watch the courses together with my spouse or do we each have to have our own log in?

    Just like our in-person courses, the pricing is based per participant. Each purchase should be logged under an individual’s name, and only that name will be tied to the proof of participation.

  • What is the format of the course content?

    Each of the courses are made up of a variety of modules with lessons within each. These lessons are made up of short videos to watch. Learners must complete the video before they can advance to the next lesson. There is also a variety of “process questions” throughout each lesson to help learners apply lessons from the videos. Each learner must also complete a final assessment quiz to receive a certificate.

  • Can I interact with other people/instructors in the course?

    Yes! Each lesson has a forum where learners can either post or answer a question for discussion to keep the learning going.