Resource/Foster Engagement Adaptability Diversity Initiative (READI)

Resource/Foster Engagement Adaptability Diversity Initiative New Mexico (READI NM) trainings are county-based and available statewide. This training provides foundational knowledge for resource foster parent applicants to learn their role and be “READI” to work with families in the foster care system.

Resource Foster Family Training Modules

The READi NM Pre-Service Training Program is a bilingual, evidence-based curriculum designed to prepare relative and community Resource/Foster Parents to provide safe, nurturing, and culturally responsive care for New Mexico’s children, youth, and families.

Grounded in the state’s diverse cultural landscape and guided by CYFD standards, READi NM equips participants with both the knowledge and relational skills necessary to support the goals of safety, permanency, and well-being. Across its 15 comprehensive modules, the program integrates principles of trauma-informed care, cultural humility, family connection, advocacy, and self-reflection, ensuring that caregivers develop competencies such as Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Acting as a Team Player, and Upholding Confidentiality.

Each module builds upon adult learning and strength-based approaches to promote resilience, healing, and collaboration within the foster care system. Rooted in New Mexico’s values of community, diversity, and family unity, READi NM stands as a model of evidence-based, culturally centered training, empowering caregivers to engage with compassion, integrity, and respect for every child and family they serve.

Any adult in your home identified as a caretaker for a foster child must attend the trainings in order.

Once certified as a Resource Foster Parent, you are asked to attend individualized continuing educational training opportunities annually. Staff members will work with you to create an Individualized Retention Training Plan (IRTP) to meet specific learning and growth needs and/org requests you may have. In addition, other mandate topics of learning will be added to your IRTP to provide alignment with state and national foster care educational plans that ensure evidence-based knowledge is upheld throughout the profession.

Module 1: Welcome Module

The Welcome module of the READi NM training sets the stage for participants by providing foundational information about the purpose, structure, and expectations of the program while fostering a safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environment.

Through an emphasis on curiosity and open dialogue, participants explore key competencies such as Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, Supporting Reunification, Providing for Basic Needs, Upholding Confidentiality, and Being Culturally Responsive. This module helps participants begin their journey as informed, reflective, and compassionate caregivers committed to supporting children, youth, and families in New Mexico.

Module 2: Navigating Services for Children and Youth

The Navigating Services for Children and Youth module helps participants understand the vital role Resource and Foster Parents play as members of a collaborative team supporting the well-being of children and youth in care. This module emphasizes effective advocacy, clear communication, and accurate documentation to ensure that each child’s needs and progress are well represented and supported across systems.

Through exploration of key concepts such as the different roles of CYFD workers, collaboration strategies, and accessing support, participants strengthen competencies including Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, Supporting Reunification, Being Culturally Sensitive and Encouraging Diversity, and Promoting Self-Empowerment and Advocacy.

Module 3: Who Are Our Children, Youth, and Families

The Who Are Our Children, Youth, and Families module invites participants to deepen their understanding of the unique journeys that bring children, youth, and families into CYFD involvement. Through guided reflection and discussion, participants explore how language, curiosity, and self-awareness of biases influence their perceptions and interactions.

This module encourages the use of open-ended questions and recognition of diverse parenting styles to foster empathy and understanding. Participants strengthen key competencies such as Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity, all essential to building respectful and healing-centered relationships with the families they serve.

Module 4: Foundational Beliefs and Values of Foster Care

The Foundational Beliefs and Values of Foster Care module helps participants understand that safety, permanency, and well-being are the guiding principles for all children and youth in foster care. This module explores the role of the Resource/Foster Parent within that framework, emphasizing both the responsibility to support children and the importance of caring for oneself in the process.

Through reflection on permanency planning, the foster care experience, and self-care practices, participants gain clarity on how their beliefs and actions influence outcomes for children and families. Core competencies strengthened include Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, and Supporting Reunification.

Module 5: Maintaining Family Connections

The Maintaining Family Connections module emphasizes the essential role Resource and Foster Parents play as part of a collaborative team working to keep children and youth connected to their families, culture, and communities. Participants explore the importance of reunification, relationships, and consistent communication as pathways to healing and stability for children in care.

By understanding how meaningful connections support emotional well-being and long-term resilience, Resource/Foster Parents strengthen key competencies including Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity.

Module 6: Cultural Humility

The Cultural Humility module invites participants to explore how culture, identity, and power influence the experiences of children, youth, and families in care. Through reflection on concepts such as perception and bias, intersectionality, dominant culture, and the “iceberg effect,” participants examine how unseen beliefs and values shape interactions and decisions. The module also introduces the H.U.M.B.L.E. Model as a framework for practicing openness, respect, and lifelong learning when engaging with others.

By recognizing and addressing microaggressions and their impact, Resource/Foster Parents strengthen key competencies including Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity and Encouraging Diversity, and Promoting Self-Empowerment and Advocacy.

Module 7: Child and Youth Identity and Family Connections

The Child and Youth Identity and Family Connections module focuses on understanding the unique identities, lived experiences, and family relationships of children and youth involved with CYFD. Participants explore how language, curiosity, and awareness of personal biases influence how they see and support children and families.

Through examining parenting styles and practicing open-ended questioning, Resource and Foster Parents learn to build stronger, more trusting relationships rooted in empathy and respect. This module reinforces key competencies including Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity, all essential to honoring each child’s story and strengthening family connections.

Module 8: Trauma-Informed Support

The Trauma-Informed Support module helps participants understand how trauma affects the brain, behavior, and development of children and youth in care. By exploring the different types of trauma, as well as reflecting on their own experiences of stress or trauma, Resource and Foster Parents gain insight into how trauma responses show up in everyday interactions.

The module focuses on promoting resiliency and healing through consistent, compassionate, and culturally attuned care. Participants strengthen essential competencies including Being Trauma-Responsive, Providing for Basic Needs, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity and Encouraging Diversity, and Fostering Self-Empowerment, laying the foundation for nurturing safety, trust, and growth in every child they support.

Module 9: Care from a Place of Wholeness

The Care from a Place of Wholeness module centers on providing children and youth in care with a holistic, compassionate approach that meets their physical, emotional, and developmental needs. Participants learn to balance basic care requirements with attention to each child’s unique experiences and strengths, ensuring that every young person feels valued and supported. The module also highlights the importance of adhering to policies, procedures, and confidentiality standards as part of ethical and trauma-informed caregiving.

Through this learning, Resource and Foster Parents strengthen competencies such as Being Trauma-Responsive, Providing for Basic Needs, and Upholding Confidentiality, building a foundation for safe, trustworthy, and nurturing care.

Module 10: Providing Unconditional Care

The Providing Unconditional Care module focuses on the importance of offering consistent, compassionate, and nonjudgmental care to children, youth, and their families. Participants explore how language, curiosity, and self-awareness of biases influence the ability to care without conditions or preconceived judgments. By examining parenting styles and practicing open-ended questioning, Resource and Foster Parents learn to build trust and foster healing relationships rooted in empathy and respect.

This module strengthens key competencies including Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity, ensuring that every child and family feels seen, accepted, and valued throughout their journey.

Module 11: Supporting Transitions

The Supporting Transitions module prepares Resource and Foster Parents to navigate the uncertainties and emotional complexity of providing care for an unknown period of time. This module explores how grief, loss, relationships, and resilience influence both children and caregivers during transitions such as placements, reunifications, or moves to permanency. Participants learn how to maintain stability, compassion, and continuity of care even through change, emphasizing the importance of communication and emotional safety.

Through this work, trainers and caregivers strengthen key competencies including Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Supporting Reunification, Providing for Basic Needs, Upholding Confidentiality, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity.

Module 12: Trauma Responsive Discipline

The Trauma-Responsive Discipline module helps participants build the understanding and skills needed to guide behavior through a strength-based, trauma-informed lens. Rather than focusing on punishment, this module emphasizes curiosity, empathy, and problem solving to address underlying needs and support healthy brain development.

Participants explore how biases and personal beliefs about discipline can shape their responses to children’s behaviors and learn strategies that promote safety, trust, and growth. Core competencies reinforced include Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, Providing for Basic Needs, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, Fostering Self-Empowerment, and Advocating for Children and Families.

Module 13: ICWA/IFPA Best Practices (E-learn)

The ICWA/IFPA module is a self-paced E-Learn designed to help Resource and Foster Parents understand the historical and generational trauma experienced by Native American families and the importance of adhering to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Indian Family Protection Act (IFPA).

Through this module, participants explore how federal and state laws protect Native American children, youth, and families by promoting stability, cultural identity, and tribal sovereignty. They reflect on their own biases and prejudices, gain awareness of active efforts to keep families together, and strengthen competencies including Being Trauma-Responsive, Using Language that Matters, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity and Encouraging Diversity, Acting as a Team Player, Supporting Reunification, and Advocating for Self and Others.

Key concepts include Generational and Cultural Trauma, Bias Awareness, Cultural Identity, Advocacy, and Inclusivity, emphasizing every caregiver’s role in leading with empathy, respect, and integrity in service to New Mexico’s diverse children and families.

Module 14: Resource/Foster Parent Resilience and Self-Care

The Resource/Foster Parent Resilience and Self-Care module emphasizes the importance of resilience as a lifestyle and how maintaining personal well-being strengthens one’s ability to care for children, youth, and families effectively. Participants explore the power of language and self-awareness in shaping positive mindsets and responses to stress, recognizing that resilience is built through intentional reflection, support, and connection.

This module encourages Resource and Foster Parents to prioritize their own emotional health while contributing to a supportive team environment. Core competencies strengthened include Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity, and Encouraging Diversity, ensuring that caregivers model balance, empathy, and strength in their daily practice.

Module 15: Closing: Review, Reflection, and Next Steps

The Closing: Review, Reflection, and Next Steps module provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on their learning journey, celebrate growth, and identify actionable next steps as they prepare to apply their training in real-life caregiving.

This module reinforces the importance of self-reflection, relationships, and competency development as essential components of ongoing success. Participants revisit key lessons from across the READi NM series, acknowledge their role within a supportive team, and commit to continued growth as compassionate, trauma-responsive caregivers.

Core competencies strengthened include Intentionally Cultivating Sibling and Family Relationships, Using Language that Matters, Being Trauma-Responsive, Acting as a Team Player, Supporting Reunification, Providing for Basic Needs, Upholding Confidentiality, Demonstrating Cultural Sensitivity and Encouraging Diversity, Fostering Self-Empowerment, and Advocating for Children and Families, bringing the training to a meaningful and communal close.