The Parents as Tender Healers (PATH) program has been reviewed by the CEBC in the areas of: Placement Stabilization and Resource Parent Recruitment and Training, but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given either a Scientific Rating or a Child Welfare Relevance Rating.

• Child Welfare Outcomes: Not Specified
• Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
• Target Population: Not Specified

PATH is a ten-week curriculum developed to train prospective foster parents. Sessions are intended to help parents decide whether fostering or adoption is appropriate for them. Sessions address:

• How resource families differ from birth families.
• How and why children in the welfare system develop survival behaviors.
• The different roles of birth, legal, and caregiving parents.
• Characteristics of successful resource families.
• The types of abuse and neglect experienced within the child welfare system, survival behaviors developed, and the emotional issues underlying these behaviors.
• The impact of separation and trauma on children, and the importance of emotional attachment.
• Understanding issues faced by children in transition, and identifying existing and future family strengths and support.
• Tools and techniques to help children develop attachment.
• Disciplinary techniques for children who have experienced trauma.

The final session consists of a panel discussion with experienced Resource parents and children.

There is a handbook available by request from http://www.nrcadoption.org.

This program has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 – 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Parents as Tender Healers (PATH).

No reference materials are currently available for Parents as Tender Healers (PATH).