Self-directed Online Learning
Our members have told us that committing to face-to-face learning, or even completing a facilitated online course at a fixed time, can be challenging among the normal day-to-day of caregiving.
So, we’ve taken that feedback onboard and reshaped our training into manageable chunks of learning that can be completed at your own pace, in your own time. These courses cover key concepts in therapeutic parenting for you to add to your kete (basket) of caregiving knowledge.
All Caring Families Aotearoa training is based on Dan Hughes’ Dyadic Developmental Practice, which creates healing through relationships. We also offer training on the National Care Standards for Oranga Tamariki and NGO caregivers.
NEW!
Why Therapeutic Parenting
Therapeutic parenting is essential for children who have experienced trauma or attachment issues. This approach combines high structure with high nurture, providing a safe and supportive environment where children can heal and develop trust.
Therapeutic parenting aligns with the principles of manaakitanga (care and compassion), wairuatanga (spiritual wellbeing), and whanaungatanga (building strong relationships). It acknowledges the impact of mamae (hurt) and whētuki (trauma) on tamariki and seeks to restore mauri (life essence) and mana (dignity) through consistent, empathetic, and culturally grounded care.
By using empathy,consistency, and understanding, therapeutic parenting helps children regulate their emotions, form secure attachments, and build healthy relationships. It focuses on addressing the underlying needs behind challenging behaviours, promoting long-term emotional and psychological well-being.
Estimated completion time: 1 hour
How our Past Shapes Parenting
Our past experiences, especially from childhood, play a significant role in shaping our parenting styles. They can affect the way we communicate with children, including our body language, facial expression and tone of voice.
This training will help you to enhance your parenting skills and create meaningful connections with the children in your care. It encourages you to reflect on the messages you received as a child to help you understand your communication style – and foster a more positive and supportive environment for the child in your care.
You’ll come away from “How our Past Shapes Parenting” with a fresh understanding of how to encourage children to feel valued and understood, strengthening your parent-child relationship.
Estimated completion time: 1 hour.
What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?
This course breaks down Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are traumatic events that occur in childhood, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. These experiences can significantly impact a child’s development and long-term health.
Understanding ACEs is the first step on the journey to therapeutic care.
There are four parts to this on-line, self-directed training:
- An introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences
- How to identify ACEs and understand their long-term effects on health and opportunities
- Protective factors and therapeutic strategies to support children and help them build resilience
- Creating a safe and nurturing environment for children affected by ACEs.
Estimated completion time: 1 hour.
Caregiving 101
This training has been temporarily withdrawn to ensure it gives you all the tools you need when beginning your caregiving journey. Whether you are caring as a statutory or non-staturory caregiver, we want this training to offer guidance to help you understand the roles, challenges and rewards of caregiving. We will let you know when it is available again.
National Care Standards
The National Care Standards set out the standard of care every child and young person needs to do well and be well, and the support caregivers* can expect to receive when they open their hearts and homes to children.
There are SIX parts to the National Care Standards – as at the September 2025 course intake we have released all six parts. We hope our delivery of the Standards will give Ministry and NGO caregivers a good understanding of the support available to them.
*Please note The National Care Standards apply to caregivers caring through Oranga Tamariki or another agency. This training is not relevant for caregivers who receive the Unsupported Child Benefit (UCB).
Accessing our new training
We aim to make our training available to as many caregivers as possible.
If you are a caregiver or professional supported by an agency other than Oranga Tamariki or Work and Income, please check with your agency first before registering on one of our courses.
Looking for more?
There’s more exciting online learning to come. Watch this space for some shorter, self-directed versions of our former training courses, as well as some brand new content.
If you want to be the best therapeutic parent you can be, we’ll have a course for you, no matter what stage you are at in your care journey!
Learning Resources
We have put together a library of supplementary training resources to help you on your therapeutic parenting journey. These can be used to help refresh your learning, shared with other caregivers in your network, or printed out to post around your whare (house) as an everyday reminder.