UMaine Center on Aging

The University of Maine Center on Aging is proud to announce the creation of a certificate program providing core education, technical support, and leadership development for professionals delivering grandfamily and kinship programming across the country.

This online certificate program is comprised of 11 modules delivered over a 14-week period using a cohort model.  The curriculum will meet the needs of working professionals working in a variety of social services providing supports to grandfamilies or who find they are working with extended family members who are raising another family member’s child or children and are seeking specialized training to meet the unique needs of these families.

The course registration fee is $85.

The sequence of training modules is as follows:

Module 1: Introduction and general resources for families
Module 2: Legal information and supports
Module 3: Mental health and special needs
Module 4: Substance use disorder and its impact on the family

Break week

Module 5: Identifying grief and loss for children, families, and caregivers
Module 6: Cultural humility, diversity, and inclusion
Module 7: Caregiving across the lifespan
Module 8: Professional under pressure: Use of self-care and boundaries to reduce burnout and secondary trauma

Break week

Module 9: Support groups
Module 10: Program development
Module 11: Program sustainability

Funding for the Certificate in Grandfamilies Leadership provided by the
Brookdale Foundation Group