Free Virtual Training Program on Caring for Children With Complex Medical Needs at Home

September 18th, 2025

DSCC is proud to sponsor the expanded eHomeCare program to help families and home nurses improve their care knowledge and refresh their skills

We are excited to help expand a free online training program on how to care for children with complex medical needs at home.

Research shows that the number of children in need of medically complex care at home is steadily growing. With this growth, there is an urgent need for current and accessible educational resources to ensure the quality and safety of care for these children.

We’ve also heard from families and home nurses that they need a way to expand their knowledge about care in the home and refresh their skills.

The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) is proud to sponsor the expanded eHomeCare program to help meet this need and equip caregivers with the tools and knowledge necessary to provide high-quality care.

The eHomeCare program provides comprehensive, evidence-based information on the care of children with complex medical needs at home. The training is for:

Family members and caregivers of children with complex medical needs
Nurses working in home-based environments
Physicians
Respiratory therapists
Students from health professions
Anyone interested in learning more about caring for children with complex medical needs.

The eHomeCare program consists of eight on-demand courses to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of home care providers in the following areas:

Caring for children with a tracheostomy with or without a ventilator
Central line care
Dialysis in home
Infection control
Setting boundaries in the home
Skin care
Range of motion
Daily care activities for children

The courses aim to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance caregivers’ confidence and competence in managing both routine and emergency situations.

Please note that the completion of these training courses alone is not enough to demonstrate proficiency in skills that require specialized care (such as caring for a trach, ventilator or central line). If you are interested in becoming trained to provide these cares, please talk to your child’s medical team or home nursing agency.

Parents, extended family members, caregivers and others can use these modules to learn and refresh different skills for caring for their medically complex child in the home setting.

To learn more about the courses and enroll, visit the eHomeCare Online Training Program website.

After participating in the eHomeCare courses, individuals will be able to:

Describe best practices for providing care and managing common issues for children requiring complex medical care at home.
Recognize signs and symptoms of complications and determine appropriate responses when caring for children requiring complex medical care at home.
Demonstrate enhanced confidence and competence in providing care for children requiring complex medical care at home.
Collaborate effectively with healthcare team members to provide comprehensive and coordinated care for children requiring complex medical care at home.

Free continuing education credits are available.

If you have trouble enrolling in the course or need help, please email help@icep.wisc.edu.

The eHomeCare Program originally started as one course focused on trach and vent care through a partnership of several Wisconsin-based nursing schools and hospitals.

DSCC provided funding and collaboration to expand the eHomeCare training program in response to family feedback on the need for more education and training on caring for children with complex medical needs at home.

We partnered with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to fund the project.

DSCC team members worked with eHomeCare developer Dr. Kim Whitmore and her team at Ujima United to add more courses to the training in collaboration with the Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We hope the expanded eHomeCare training modules will be a valuable resource for families, caregivers and everyone involved in their children’s complex care at home.

In-Depth Simulated Training in Chicago for Families and Caregivers of Children with Complex Medical Needs

August 28th, 2024

A woman in a mask checking the tracheostomy tube of an infant medical training mannequin in a simulation room setting

This free in-person training will take place Sept. 24-25 at UIC’s Simulation and Integrative Learning Center in Chicago.

Registration is now open for a special in-person training program for the families and caregivers of children with complex medical needs.

This free two-day training will take place Tuesday, Sept. 24, and Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the University of Illinois Chicago Simulation and Integrative Learning (SAIL) Center on the fifth floor at 1220 S. Wood St. in Chicago.

Families have shared the need for more support for parents/caregivers of children with complex medical needs. We are excited to partner with Almost Home Kids to provide this valuable training opportunity. It will offer essential tools and knowledge to help you in your caregiving journey.

You may attend this training if you:

Are the parent or caregiver of a child in the Home and Community-Based Services Waiver for Those Who Are Medically Fragile Technology Dependent (MFTD waiver)
Have prior experience in caring for a child with a tracheostomy (trach) tube and/or a child with a trach tube and ventilator
Are able to commit to online learning before the in-person learning days
Can attend both dates to complete the training

The training will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. The in-depth curriculum will include:

Reducing the risk of infection
Skin care
Daily care of the child with a tracheostomy and ventilator
Activity and movement
Equipment and alarms
Gastrostomy care and feeding
Tracheostomy basics
Respiratory assessment and interventions
Ventilator training with hands-on practice
Emergency preparedness
Caregiver resiliency and well-being
Simulation learning experience

You can also see the Caregiver Simulated Training flyer for more details.

Please sign up online to participate in the training. There is no cost to attend.

For more information, contact Yolanda Rivera, Nursing Professional Development Specialist and Clinical Educator, at connect@almosthomekids.org or (630) 271-9155, ext. 114.

This training is part of our efforts to use federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to improve support and services for families of children with complex medical needs.

Almost Home Kids (AHK) provides a bridge from hospital to home through an innovative community-based care system for children with medical complexities. Its services include:

Responding to the needs of families
Training caregivers
Advocating for accessibility and inclusion
Educating healthcare professionals

Almost Home Kids has locations in Chicago, Naperville and Peoria.

In-Depth Training Opportunity in Chicago for Families and Caregivers of Children with Complex Medical Needs

June 27th, 2024

This free in-person training will take place July 24-25 at UIC’s Simulation and Integrative Learning Center in Chicago.

Registration is now open for a special in-person training program for the families and caregivers of children with complex medical needs.

This free two-day training will take place Wednesday, July 24, through Thursday, July 25, at the University of Illinois Chicago Simulation and Integrative Learning (SAIL) Center on the fifth floor at 1220 S. Wood St. in Chicago.

Families have expressed the need for more support for parents/caregivers of children with complex medical needs. We are excited to partner with Almost Home Kids to provide this valuable training opportunity. It will offer essential tools and knowledge to help you in your caregiving journey.