FASD Training

A guiding principle of Manitoba’s Renewed FASD Strategy is ensuring service quality by equipping service providers with the resources and training they need to provide high-quality, FASD-informed services.

Since 2017, Manitoba has offered a free two-day in-person FASD training course to any Manitobans providing services or care to people impacted by FASD and/or alcohol use in pregnancy.

This course is designed to help service providers and caregivers develop a better understanding of FASD and alcohol use during pregnancy. Through reflective learning approaches and hands on activities such as case studies, training participants:

  • Gain a basic understanding of FASD, including the diagnostic process and ways that a person diagnosed with FASD may be impacted
  • Explore the context of alcohol use in Manitoba and begin to understand what life might be like for people who use alcohol during pregnancy
  • Recognize that FASD prevention is everybody’s work, and explore strategies that foster relationships, create safe and welcoming environments, recognize strengths, and promote dignity
  • Understand and practice successful approaches when supporting people with FASD
  • Learn from an expert: hear a presentation from a person with FASD

Individuals and groups who are interested in attending Manitoba’s two-day FASD training course can email FASDInfo@gov.mb.ca

Manitobans can also access Canada FASD Ressearch Network (CanFASD)’s online training ‘Foundations in FASD’ at no cost, through Manitoba’s membership in the Canada Northwest FASD Partnership.

Foundations in FASD is a basic training course intended for everyone that will come into contact with individuals with FASD including all sectors of work, families, individuals with FASD, spouses, and the general public. This foundational level training program provides the perspective of individuals who have FASD, is evidence-base, employs a culturally sensitive approach, and is presented in a way that is responsive to the learner’s needs.

For information about additional online FASD training resources, please visit canfasd.ca/online-learners/.

With generous support from Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, all Manitoba residents also have free access to CanFASD’s Level 2 FASD e-learning courses. These advanced, sector-specific courses build on the knowledge provided in the Level 1 course, ‘Foundations in FASD.’

Trainees must register and create a user account to initiate free course access. Trainees have access to the course for one year from the date of sign-up. Certificates are provided to participants upon course completion.

Available Level 2 e-learning courses:

  • FASD for Community and Social Services Professionals - Designed for frontline workers working directly with individuals with FASD and their families, including but not exclusive to those that work in financial and disability services, in FASD networks, housing, shelter and crisis supports, and employment programs. The course provides knowledge and practical skills to frontline workers to advocate and provide services to children and adults with FASD. (Available in English)
  • Identifying Best Practices for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - Designed for use by professionals working in the substance use, mental health, housing, employment, justice, and other service delivery fields. This course provides brief, effective approaches to improve outcomes in preventing FASD, screening for FASD, and supporting success among individuals with FASD. (Available in English and French)
  • The Prevention Conversation - Designed for front-line health and social services professionals. The course provides learners with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage their clients/patients in a supportive and non-judgmental conversation about alcohol use during pregnancy, its lasting effects on the developing child, and resources and supports available to people of childbearing age. (Available in English)
  • Substance Use and Treatment in FASD - Designed for addictions and substance use treatment service providers. This course provides appropriate substance use treatment approaches for individuals with FASD, recognizing that individuals with FASD benefit from treatment support that is well-suited to their unique neurodevelopmental needs. (Available in English and French)
  • FASD for School Staff: Practical Strategies for the School Environment - Designed for all school staff working with students with FASD, including all administrators, teachers, educational assistants, ECE’s, office administrators, board personnel, and bus drivers. This course will provide knowledge of the characteristics of an FASD-friendly school, teaching strategies, the importance of educator/caregiver collaboration, environmental and assessment strategies in the classroom, and transitions facing students with FASD. (Available in English and French)
  • FASD for Judicial and Legal Professionals - Designed for professionals working within the justice system. This course provides learners with a better understanding of how FASD impacts a person’s involvement with the justice system, challenge some of the common assumptions about FASD and justice involvement, and provide helpful strategies and suggestions for working with justice-involved individuals with FASD. (Available in English)
  • FASD for Solicitor General Professionals - Designed for professionals in the Solicitor General system. This course provides learners with a better understanding of how FASD impacts a person’s involvement with the justice system, challenge some of the common assumptions about FASD and justice involvement, and provide helpful strategies and suggestions for working with justice-involved individuals with FASD. (Available in English and French)