Online Certificate in Grandfamilies Leadership: Identifying and Fulfilling the Training Needs of Grandfamily Practitioners

Authors

Jennifer Crittenden, The University of MaineFollow

Abstract

This practice brief discusses the development and delivery of a unique online certificate program in grandfamilies leadership designed to serve the needs of a wide variety of grandfamily professionals and support personnel. To-date the program has engaged 177 learners from across the U.S. and Hong Kong representing a diverse set of organizations and professional and lay roles. Evaluation results from the first seven learner cohorts underscore the effectiveness of the program content as well as the utility of an initial program needs assessment to guide curriculum development. Practice implications for future continuing education efforts targeting grandfamily professionals and lay leaders include the need for accessible online education along with additional training opportunities covering topics such as the long term impacts of substance use disorder and trauma along with more local-level content on resources and legal issues.

Recommended Citation

Crittenden, J. (2020). Online Certificate in Grandfamilies Leadership: Identifying and Fulfilling the Training Needs of Grandfamily Practitioners. GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy, 6 (1).
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/grandfamilies/vol6/iss1/9