Aspire Training Group · Texas
From first training to full compliance.
TBRI® and state-required training, full implementation and daily compliance tools for residential operations, child placing agencies and foster families. Led by a Licensed Child Care Administrator who has done the work.
Where are you starting?
What we offer
Train. Implement. Comply.
Every service fits into one of three pillars, and they are built to work together, so an agency can onboard, train and stay compliant with one partner.
Train
Skills for every caregiver
Implement
TBRI as your model of care
Comply
Proof the work gets done
How we work together
One path from first meeting to a system you own
New organizations and agencies restarting TBRI follow the same five steps. Each step links to the service that delivers it.
- AssessReadiness review, baseline data and a written action plan.
- TrainTBRI, state-required trainings, SAMA or PAPH, CPR and First Aid.
- ImplementPolicies, procedures, coaching and supervision rebuilt around TBRI.
- TrackThe daily tracker and SafeScan document care every shift and every night.
- SustainQuarterly outcome reports, refreshers and mentorship for your leaders.
Onboarding for new staff
A ready-to-run onboarding track so new hires and new foster parents finish every required training before they work alone with children.
- Pre-service training calendar built around your start dates
- TBRI foundations, EBI, CPR and First Aid bundled in one onboarding week
- Training records, sign-in sheets and certificates organized for licensing reviews
- Recertification reminders so nothing lapses
Custom training development
Need a topic that isn't on the list? We design trainings for your policies, population and staff roles.
- Curriculum, slide decks, facilitator guides and handouts
- Knowledge checks and competency sign-offs
- Policy-to-practice trainings when your procedures change
- Train-the-trainer packages so your team can keep delivering
Mentorship
Learn from a Licensed Child Care Administrator
One-on-one mentorship for the people who lead residential care, from someone who has held the license and built the systems.
Ask me about mentorshipWho it's for
- New administrators and program directors
- Professionals working toward their LCCA
- Supervisors stepping into leadership
- Agency founders opening a new operation
What we work on
- Running a compliant operation day to day
- Writing policies and preparing for inspections
- Leading and supervising through a TBRI lens
- Using data and outcome reports to make decisions
TBRI® training
Trust-Based Relational Intervention for staff and caregivers
TBRI is an attachment-based, trauma-informed model developed at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU. It gives adults practical tools to meet the needs of children who have experienced harm, loss or disrupted relationships.
Connecting
Building trust through attunement, playful engagement, eye contact, voice quality and healthy touch, so the child feels safe with the adult.
Empowering
Meeting physical needs and building self-regulation with transitions, rituals, hydration, snacks, sensory support and predictable routines.
Correcting
Shaping behavior through proactive life-value terms and the IDEAL response, matched to the child's level of need and always ending in reconnection.
Classes we offer
TBRI® Introduction & Overview
The why and how of TBRI: the impact of trauma, the three principles, and first tools to try this week. Ideal for leadership, support staff and new hires. Certificate of attendance included.
TBRI® Caregiver Training
The full caregiver curriculum, taught by a TBRI Practitioner with practice, role plays and video. For direct care staff, case managers, foster and kinship parents.
TBRI® Refresher & Booster
Annual refreshers that count toward training hours, focused on one principle or a skill your team is working on.
Coaching & consultation
On-unit, in-home or virtual coaching, case consultation and practice observations so skills carry over from class to the floor.
Leadership & supervisor track
How to supervise, coach and debrief through a TBRI lens, and how to keep policies and incident reviews aligned with the model.
Who it's for
- General residential operations and residential treatment centers
- Child placing agencies and SSCCs, plus their foster and kinship families
- Shelters, emergency care and transitional living programs
- Schools, churches and community programs serving children from hard places
What every class includes
- Sign-in sheets and certificates of attendance for your training files
- Participant handouts and quick-reference cards
- In-person at your site, or virtual for refreshers
- Hours documented for DFPS annual training requirements
Full implementation
Making TBRI your model of care, not one more training
For organizations adopting TBRI, or restarting an implementation that never found its groove. We build TBRI into policies, procedures, supervision, training and data, and stay with you until it runs on its own.
- Months 1–2
Readiness & leadership
Leadership commitment, an implementation team and a baseline.
- Readiness assessment and staff survey
- Implementation team and roles
- Baseline incident and restraint data
- Months 2–4
Policy & procedure alignment
Rewrite the documents that drive daily practice.
- Behavior support and EBI policy mapped to TBRI levels
- Incident review and debrief procedures
- Job descriptions, contracts and handbooks
- Months 3–6
Training rollout
Everyone trained in the order that protects children first.
- Leadership and supervisors first
- Direct care staff and caregivers by cohort
- TBRI added to new-hire onboarding
- Months 4–9
Coaching & fidelity
Skills practiced on the floor with feedback.
- Coaching visits and practice observations
- Fidelity checklists by role
- Champions on every shift or unit
- Ongoing, quarterly
Data & outcomes
Show leadership and funders what is changing.
- Implementation tracker updated monthly
- Quarterly outcome reports
- Course corrections from the data
- Months 9–12+
Sustain
Hand off a system your team owns.
- Train-the-trainer and internal coaches
- Annual refresher calendar
- Annual implementation review
| Task | Phase | Owner | Status | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership kickoff meeting | 1 | Executive Director | Done | |
| Baseline restraint data pulled | 1 | QA Lead | Done | |
| EBI policy rewritten to TBRI levels | 2 | Implementation Lead | In progress | |
| Supervisors complete caregiver training | 3 | TBRI Practitioner | In progress | |
| Shift champions named | 4 | Program Director | Not started |
Sample Agency. Illustration of the tracker layout; not real client data.
Restraints per quarter at a sample agency. Made-up numbers to show the report format.
What your organization receives
Implementation action plan
A written plan with phases, timelines, owners and policy changes tailored to your operation type.
Implementation tracker
A shared spreadsheet of every task, staff training status and EBI certifications.
Tracker how-to guide
A plain-language guide so any team member can update the tracker correctly.
Quarterly outcome reports
A report builder that turns your numbers into charts for leadership, boards and funders.
Leadership presentation
A slide deck that explains the plan, tools and expected outcomes to your leadership team.
DFPS-required trainings
Every state-required training, in one place
Pre-service and annual trainings required under Texas Minimum Standards for child-care operations, child placing agencies and foster homes. Each class includes a sign-in sheet, a certificate and the hours to count toward annual requirements.
Trauma-informed care
Pre-service and annual TIC, delivered through a TBRI lens.
Emergency behavior intervention
SAMA or PAPH (Prevention of Aggression and Physical Holds) certification and recertification.
CPR, AED & First Aid
Adult, child and infant, certified through EMS Safety.
Psychotropic medications
Taught by a licensed nurse. Purpose, side effects, consent and monitoring for caregivers.
Medication administration
Storage, logs, error reporting and safe administration.
Normalcy & reasonable and prudent parenting
Supporting age-appropriate activities and everyday decisions.
Human trafficking awareness
Recognizing signs, prevention and reporting duties.
Suicide prevention & self-harm
Warning signs, supervision levels and response steps.
Water & transportation safety
Water activity supervision, car seats and safe transport.
Infection control & universal precautions
Bloodborne pathogens, hygiene and illness response.
Emergency & disaster preparedness
Fire safety, evacuations, drills and emergency plans.
Cultural humility & diversity
Honoring each child's culture, identity and family.
Pre-service orientation
Your policies, child rights, confidentiality and service planning.
Requirements vary by operation type. Required topics and hours differ for GROs, RTCs, CPAs and foster homes. We map your required list against the current Minimum Standards and your contract before we schedule.
Emergency behavior intervention
SAMA and PAPH, taught to fit inside TBRI
Texas requires staff to be trained in an approved emergency behavior intervention (EBI) model before they use any restraint. Aspire offers SAMA and PAPH (Prevention of Aggression and Physical Holds) certification and recertification, and teaches both so they support TBRI rather than compete with it.
SAMA certification
Satori Alternatives to Managing Aggression (SAMA) focuses on prevention and de-escalation first, with physical intervention taught only as a last resort.
- Understanding the escalation cycle and early warning signs
- Verbal and non-verbal de-escalation
- Personal safety, positioning and self-protection
- Approved holds, practiced under instructor supervision
- Documentation and post-incident review
- Written test and physical skills check for certification
- Recertification on the schedule your curriculum and contract require
PAPH 80/20: Prevention of Aggression and Physical Holds
PAPH 80/20 is built for foster parents and caregivers. The name is its core rule: listen 80% of the time and talk 20%. Most of the course is prevention. Physical holds are the last unit and the last resort.
- Stages of cognitive development and how the brain develops through the teen years
- Constructive guidance: set limits, offer choices, redirect, time-in, reinforce
- Building self-esteem and positive one-to-one interactions
- Reading what a behavior is communicating and spotting a crisis early
- Avoiding and getting out of power struggles
- Documentation that describes what happened, as it happens
- Physical holds, safe release and escapes, practiced only with a certified instructor
- Taught by a certified PAPH instructor, with certification, recertification and records tracked in your implementation tracker
How EBI still works with TBRI
TBRI never asks staff to give up safety. It asks them to use the lowest level of response that works, and to repair the relationship after every hard moment. An EBI hold sits at the very top of TBRI's levels of response, used only when someone is in imminent danger.
Using TBRI with PAPH
PAPH's prevention tools line up with TBRI's principles, so staff learn one way of working, not two.
| PAPH 80/20 teaches | TBRI connection | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Listen 80%, talk 20% | Connecting | Attunement, eye level, a calm voice and fewer words |
| Know your children and watch for early clues | Empowering | Noticing hunger, thirst, sleep and sensory needs before behavior escalates |
| Offer choices and redirect | Correcting | Choices, compromises and re-dos at TBRI levels 1 and 2 |
| Avoid power struggles: respond once, stop talking, breathe | Calming engagement | The adult regulates first so the child can borrow that calm |
| "You're the variable": if it isn't working, change your approach | Felt safety | Adults adjust to the child's need instead of repeating what fails |
| Physical hold only to stop imminent harm | Protective engagement | Level 4 only, by certified staff, released as soon as the child is calm |
| Coach the child to calm, praise cooperation during release | Repair and reconnection | Breathing together, clear directions and reconnecting afterward |
| Documentation, documentation, documentation | Learning from every incident | Debriefs and data that feed your quarterly outcome reports |
PAPH 80/20 Foster Care Workbook © Michael Messinger, myMGMC.com. Holds are taught and practiced only in a certified class.
TBRI levels of response
Each level is matched to how dysregulated the child is. Most moments are handled in the first two.
Playful engagement
Lighthearted redirection that keeps connection and gets a re-do.
Structured engagement
Clear choices or a compromise, with the adult staying calm and in charge.
Calming engagement
Help to regulate first: space, breathing, sensory tools, a calm voice.
Protective engagement
Keeping everyone safe when there is imminent danger. The only level where an EBI hold may be used.
Snapshots: where holds fit
Simple illustrations of the ideas taught in class. They are not instructions; holds are taught and practiced only in a certified EBI course.
1. Supportive stance
The adult stands at an angle, outside the child's personal space, hands visible and voice low. This is TBRI calming engagement and most escalations end here.
2. Space, voice and choices
Getting to eye level, offering two choices and giving time to respond. De-escalation skills from SAMA and TBRI work together here.
3. Team-supported hold
Used only when someone is in imminent danger, only by staff with current EBI certification, only with holds your curriculum and Minimum Standards allow, and ended as soon as the child is safe.
After every hold: TBRI repair
- Safety and calmRelease as soon as it is safe. Offer water, a snack and a calm space.
- ReconnectThe adult reconnects with the child so the relationship, not the hold, is the last word.
- DocumentComplete EBI documentation and notifications on the required timelines.
- Debrief and learnStaff and child debriefs, then a team review of what could prevent the next one.
CPR & First Aid
Certified CPR and First Aid through EMS Safety
Nationally recognized certification for caregivers, direct care staff, foster parents and anyone who needs to be ready for an emergency with children or adults.
CPR & AED: adult, child and infant
Recognizing an emergency, high-quality chest compressions, rescue breaths, using an AED and helping a choking person of any age.
First Aid
Bleeding control, burns, fractures and sprains, allergic reactions and epinephrine auto-injectors, seizures, diabetic emergencies, heat and cold emergencies, and poisoning.
Pediatric First Aid, CPR & AED
Focused on infants and children for foster parents, child-care staff and residential programs.
Bloodborne pathogens
Universal precautions, exposure prevention and what to do after an exposure.
Blended learning
Complete the reading online, then attend a shorter hands-on skills session.
EMS Safety certified
Taught by an EMS Safety instructor. Successful students receive an EMS Safety certification card.
- Hands-on practice with adult, child and infant manikins and AED trainers
- Skills check and written test for certification
- Certification card valid for two years
- Classes at your site for groups, or open sessions for individuals
- Meets CPR and First Aid requirements for Texas caregivers when the course covers the ages in your care
Online & mobile notary
Notarize from anywhere with a Texas online notary
Nikki is a commissioned Texas online notary public. Get state forms and agency documents notarized over a secure video call, or book an in-person mobile notary at your office, home or training site.
What is Remote Online Notarization (RON)?
RON is a notarization done over a live, two-way audio and video session instead of face to face. Texas allows it through notaries who hold a separate online notary commission from the Texas Secretary of State. The document is signed electronically, the notary applies an electronic seal and digital certificate, and the session is recorded and kept as part of the notary's records.
- Foster and adoptive home application and home study documents
- Affidavits and sworn statements for state forms
- Caregiver agreements and agency attestations
- Power of attorney and consent documents
- Employment and background check verifications
- Notary at the end of your training day, so families finish everything in one visit
Online notary: how it works
You need a computer or phone with a camera, microphone and internet connection.
Prefer in person?
Get notary now
A notary verifies identity and witnesses signatures. A notary can't give legal advice or help fill out legal forms. Some documents or receiving agencies may require a wet-ink signature, so check before booking online.
Nikki Relford
About
Nikki Relford, M.A.
Nikki is a Licensed Child Care Administrator and TBRI® Practitioner who trains staff and caregivers and leads TBRI implementation for organizations serving children in foster care and residential settings.
Her work goes past the classroom. She helps agencies rewrite the policies, procedures and contracts that shape daily practice, builds the tools that track progress, and reports the outcomes leadership needs to see. Aspire Training Group brings that work together with every required training, CPR and First Aid, EBI certification and online notary, so an agency can onboard and support its people with one trusted partner.
Contact
Request a quote
Pricing depends on group size, location and the mix of trainings. Contact us for a quote tailored to your organization.
Compliance · General Residential Operations
GRO Coworking Daily Workflow Tracker
One shared daily tracker for every shift in a general residential operation. Staff, supervisors and leadership see the same live picture of what is done, what is due and what is overdue, so you stay compliant with T3C and Minimum Standards and keep TBRI at the center of daily care.
Why a coworking tracker
Compliance is a daily habit, not a pre-inspection scramble
Most citations come from small things missed on a busy shift: a late incident report, a skipped room check, a lapsed CPR card. The tracker turns every daily requirement into a shared checklist that each shift picks up where the last one left off.
One source of truth
Every shift works from the same tracker, so handoffs stop relying on memory, sticky notes or a paper log nobody can find.
Due-date alerts
Incident notifications, service plan reviews, drills and certifications turn yellow when due and red when overdue.
Shift handoff notes
Each shift leaves a short note on each child: mood, needs met, what worked and what to watch for next shift.
Supervisor review
Supervisors sign off on each shift and see open items across every cottage or unit at a glance.
Inspection-ready records
Logs, training records and incident follow-ups are organized by standard, so licensing and monitoring visits go faster.
Data that tells a story
Daily entries roll up into measure-based reports for T3C, contracts, your board and your TBRI fidelity reviews.
What the tracker covers
Every daily, weekly and monthly requirement in one place
Supervision & ratios
Headcounts, staff-to-child ratios each shift, and awake night checks at the frequency each child's plan requires.
Medication administration
Medication logs completed each pass, missed or refused doses noted, and psychotropic consent and monitoring dates.
Incidents & notifications
Incident reports, serious incident notifications and caseworker contacts logged with their required timelines.
Emergency behavior intervention
Every SAMA or PAPH hold documented, the child and staff debriefed, and supervisor review completed.
Service planning
Admission assessments, service plan reviews and CANS-informed goals tracked to their due dates.
Health, school & appointments
Medical, dental, therapy and school attendance, plus visits and family contact.
Normalcy activities
Age-appropriate activities, outings and extracurriculars recorded under the reasonable and prudent parent standard.
Safety & environment
Fire drills, evacuation drills, vehicle checks, room and building checks and maintenance requests.
Staff training & certifications
Pre-service and annual hours, TBRI, EBI, CPR and First Aid, with expiration alerts before anything lapses.
Inside the tracker
Screens from the live tracker
These screens come from a compliance tracker running in a Texas general residential operation. Staff and youth names are blurred.
Bars: restraints per quarter (left scale). Line: daily compliance rate. Made-up numbers to show the report format.
Measure-based reporting
Daily entries become the measures T3C and TBRI ask for
Because staff log care as it happens, the reports build themselves. Each measure ties back to T3C expectations and to TBRI as your model of care.
| Measure | Comes from | T3C link | TBRI link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restraints and holds per quarter | EBI log | Trauma-informed, least restrictive care | Protective engagement used only as a last resort |
| Holds debriefed on time | EBI log, debrief sign-off | Quality and safety review | Repair and reconnection after every hold |
| Daily connection time per youth | Shift board | Child-centered, individualized care | Connecting principle |
| Snack, water and sensory breaks given | Shift board | Meeting needs in the service plan | Empowering principle |
| Incidents and runaways | Incident log | Safety and placement stability outcomes | Felt safety and regulation |
| Service plan reviews on time | Service planning | CANS-informed planning and service package requirements | Plans that name each child's needs and strengths |
| School attendance and normalcy activities | Shift board | Well-being outcomes | Building competence and confidence |
| Staff trained and certified | Training tracker | Credentialing and contract requirements | Every caregiver trained in the model |
| Daily compliance rate | All checklists | Readiness for monitoring and credentialing reviews | Consistency children can trust |
Staying compliant
T3C and Minimum Standards, side by side
Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) is changing how residential providers are credentialed and paid, based on service packages matched to each child's needs. General residential operations still have to meet the Minimum Standards in 26 TAC Chapter 748 every day. The tracker keeps both in view.
- Daily checklists built from the Minimum Standards that apply to your operation
- Service package requirements added for each child's placement
- Trauma-informed care documented through TBRI practice, not only training hours
- Evidence organized for credentialing, accreditation and monitoring visits
- Quarterly measure reports for leadership, contracts and your board
Better workflow
Less paperwork chasing, more time with kids
- Staff know what to do this shift the moment they clock in
- Handoffs carry what each child needs, so the next shift starts connected
- Supervisors spend time coaching instead of hunting for missing logs
- Leadership sees trends early and can fix a pattern before it becomes a citation
- New staff learn routines faster with the checklist as their guide
Setup and training included
Aspire builds the tracker around your policies, cottages and service packages, trains every shift to use it, and adds it to new-staff onboarding.
Requirements change. T3C rollout and Minimum Standards are updated over time. We review your tracker against the current rules and your contract during setup and at each annual review.
SafeScan · overnight rounds
Peace of mind that every youth is safe and checked on, all night.
SafeScan documents every overnight round. Staff scan a QR code or tap an NFC tag at each room, and every check is time-stamped. Supervisors and the state see a report showing each round was done, every 15 minutes or at whatever frequency each youth's supervision plan requires.
www.safescangroup.com
How it works
Four steps, every round
- Tag each roomEvery bedroom gets a SafeScan QR code or NFC tag.
- Scan on every roundOvernight staff scan or tap the tag at each door, every 15 minutes or as each youth's supervision level requires.
- Note what you seeEach scan is time-stamped and staff record the youth's status, with incident notes if anything happens.
- Report every roundSupervisors and licensing see a report showing each round, each room and each time, with any missed check flagged.
State compliance
Proof that every round happened
Paper night logs can be filled in late, all at once, or not at all. A SafeScan scan only happens when staff are at the door, so the record shows the round really happened and when.
- NFC and QR code room checks: fast, accurate and contactless
- Resident status tracking with real-time visibility
- Incident logging in real time, in the same place as the rounds
- Reports showing each documented round for Minimum Standards, T3C and licensing reviews
- Clear handovers, so the morning shift starts knowing how the night went
- Built for 24/7 care, with unlimited staff for each facility
How it all fits together
TBRI by day, the tracker every shift, SafeScan all night
Aspire's services work as one system. Staff are trained in TBRI, every shift runs on the compliance tracker, and SafeScan covers the overnight hours, so care is documented around the clock.
TBRI as the model of care
Felt safety does not stop at bedtime. Calm, predictable night checks help youth trust that an adult is always looking out for them.
Coworking daily tracker
Day and evening shifts log meds, reports, drills and training. SafeScan carries the same accountability through the night.
T3C & Minimum Standards
Documented supervision, incidents and rounds give you the evidence monitoring, credentialing and licensing reviews ask for.
SafeScan supports staff documentation. It does not replace supervision, facility procedures, professional advice or emergency response.
Developed by Nikki Relford, M.A., TBRI® Practitioner
Built by caregivers, designed for safety. Aspire can set up SafeScan and train your night staff as part of implementation.