Referring a parent to the parenting education program

Program facts, attendance standards, and consent-based reporting for attorneys, CPS social workers, probation officers, guardians ad litem, mediators, and court staff.

Facilitator: Roselia M. Ortega, LCSW
California License #136827
10+ years in social services

How to refer Call (209) 209-5470

Acceptance: No court or agency has approved or designated this program. Referral acceptance varies by court, county, and case type. Please confirm that the program and its certificate meet the requirement in each case.

Program at a glance

Format: 10 classes 90 minutes each, in order, over 10 weeks
Contact hours: 15 hours Listed on the certificate of completion
Delivery: Live on Zoom Camera on. No recorded or self-paced classes
English group: Wednesdays 6:00–7:30 pm Pacific
Spanish group: Thursdays 6:00–7:30 pm Pacific, taught in Spanish
Group size: 5 to 10 parents Referred and voluntary parents together
Cost to the parent: $75 per class $750 for all 10, paid as they go
Open to: Parents and caregivers Including co-parents, stepparents, grandparents, and foster and kinship caregivers

What you receive, with signed consent

The participant chooses what to authorize on a written release form, one form for each recipient. With it, referring parties can receive:

Enrollment confirmation with the cohort start date
Attendance records: dates attended, missed, and made up, and total hours
Written progress reports, weekly or on request
The certificate of completion
Notice of attendance concerns within 2 business days
Confirmation of the referral and its requirements, if the participant allows it

A progress report lists attendance, topics covered, completion of in-class activities and worksheets, and whether the participant is on track to finish.

What reports never include

The content of what the participant said in class
Information about other participants
Opinions about parenting capacity
Recommendations about custody, visitation, placement, or reunification
Therapy records of any kind

Scope and limits

The program is parent education. It includes no assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Completion is not an evaluation of parenting capacity, and it is not a custody or placement recommendation.

The facilitator is a mandated reporter. That duty applies whether or not a release is signed.

Attendance and completion standard

All 10 classes are required for the certificate.
Attendance is recorded at sign-in and sign-out.
Arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early counts as a missed class.
Missed classes are made up in a make-up session covering the same material, or with the next cohort.
After 2 missed classes in a row with no contact, remaining classes are cancelled. The participant can finish with a later group.
A participant removed for threatening or repeatedly disruptive behavior is reported as incomplete, where a release allows reporting.

Curriculum

Foundations: healthy families, values, and ground rules
Age-appropriate expectations: development and skills
Understanding your child’s emotions
Managing your own emotions: stress, anger, and repair
Structure, routines, and clear limits
Discipline that teaches
Communication and connection
Shared caregiving: conflict, communication, and problem-solving
Blended families, shared caregiving, and family meetings
Safety and your plan forward

See what each class covers

Where domestic violence is present, Class 8 uses a parallel-parenting approach.

How to refer a parent

Give the parent the classes page address: relievecounseling.com/parenting. Spanish-speaking parents can use relievecounseling.com/es/crianza.
The parent signs up online or by phone and receives a welcome email with the release form.
Once the signed release names you, you receive the items the parent authorized.

To request the referral packet, the full curriculum outline, a sample progress report, or a sample certificate, call (209) 209-5470 or email info@relievecounseling.com.

Please don’t send case files or court paperwork by email. They aren’t needed to run the class or to report attendance.

These classes are parent education, not therapy.