Evaluation of an Online Training Program for Savvy Caregiver Program Leaders

The Savvy Caregiver® program (SCP) is widely disseminated evidence‐based in‐person psychoeducation program that enhances family caregivers’ knowledge, skills, and mastery for effectively performing the caregiver role. SCP is led by one or two trainers who have been trained in the role by one of the SCP developers, usually in in‐person group sessions. To ensure the fidelity of train‐the‐trainer workshops, facilitate SCP dissemination, and relieve the need for in‐person training, our educational design team, with support from NIH (RO1AG061971), produced a fully online, text and video SCP train‐the‐trainer program. The program contains four modules with sections, the first describing SC purpose, core principles, mechanism of action and role of the trainer; the remaining three cover the content and dynamic of each of the six weekly SCP sessions. Seven assessment exercises, scored by the authors, determined trainees’ ability to move forward in training. Following course revisions based on prototype testing, the training program was offered to agencies in six U.S. states. Additional online events allowed debriefing interaction between learners and course developers. A post‐course evaluation was sent to learners.