How Adoptive Families Association of BC Makes a Positive Impact with Moodle
The use of Moodle learning management system revolutionized adoption education in British Columbia, particularly for the Adoptive Families Association of BC (AFABC).
Prior to creating online adoption education via Moodle, prospective adoptive parents outside of the main urban centers in BC received inconsistent training, that was often difficult to access. Considering the vast rural areas in BC, some prospective adoptive parents would have to travel up to eight hours to attend a weekend workshop; and in many cases, workshops were not even available.
In order to adopt in British Columbia, completing an educational component is mandatory, so not having easy access to adoption education meant that many good families could not be considered as potentials for adoption. AFABC mostly serves families who are adopting through the Ministry of Child & Family Development (MCFD), and many of the children available for adoption through the ministry have special needs.
Education is a first - and essential - step in being ready to parent children from foster care. By using Moodle to create a ministry approved online adoption education course, AFABC made adoption education available to all prospective adoptive parents in BC.
“We could see that online learning would be better for our clients who are spread across the province. We also knew that our programs would work for other jurisdictions.”
- Sophia Barton-Bucknor, Education and Youth Services Manager
Within the first year of their Moodle implementation, attendance in the Moodle course tripled, and other Canadian provinces, such as Alberta, began looking at AFABC to supply online adoption education to their province. Social Workers were keen to support the online education program because it took a large piece of work off of their plate, allowing them to focus more on working on home studies.
Prospective adoptive parents in rural areas loved Moodle training because it meant they no longer had to travel great distances, and they were receiving the same education as those in urban areas. Urban families also enjoyed Moodle LMS, as it allowed them to complete their learning on their time, rather than on someone else's schedule, leaving more time for the kids and home. MCFD champions the course because it has standardized the program, and gets more prospective parents through the process faster so that more kids in care can be placed with well-prepared, well-informed families. All of this was made possible because of Moodle!
