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We currently have over 900 children in
care, the majority of whom were in need
of foster care. We currently have 260 dedicated
families in the Durham Region. |
Our goal is to keep children with their own families,
however, when there are serious concerns about
the care a child is receiving at home, he or she
may need to be placed in a foster home.
Sadly there are some families that cannot provide
long term care for their children. Some parents
cannot adequately care for their children and
some homes are not safe for children to return
to.
 Foster
parents and their families provide a stable and
supportive home environment for those children
who are in need of a safe, temporary place to
live.
The children in our care range from infancy to
18 years and come from a variety of backgrounds.
A child may be placed for a few hours or for several
months, depending on the needs of the child.
Many children come into our care on temporary
basis and are able to return home to their family
once the stress at home has been alleviated. But
some children must remain in care for longer,
some permanently. These children and youth need
permanent foster care or an adoption placement.
Our foster families care for and nurture the
children and youth in our care until a permanent
plan is made for them.
To help children who are in need of temporary
care, we are always in need of caring foster homes.
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Children are admitted to care through two approaches-through
a voluntary agreement or by court order.
Voluntary agreements are "temporary care agreements," when the parents
are temporarily unable to care for a child.
These agreements may be terminated by the parent
or the CAS at any time, and can last no longer
than twelve months.
Court ordered agreements include:
- Temporary care and custody orders - when
a child is ordered into our care and custody
during an adjournment of a child protection
hearing.
- Society wardship - when Family Court has determined
that it is in the best interest of a child to
be placed in our care. The wardship lasts up
to 12 months, but may be extended to twenty-four
months. Generally the parents retain access
rights, but we assume most of the daily parenting
responsibility.
- Crown wardship - when Family Court has determined
that it is in a child's best interest to be
made a permanent ward of the Crown. Under this
order, the Crown (CAS on behalf of society)
exercises the rights and responsibilities of
a parent. Crown wardship continues to age 18.
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We make every effort to match the children and
the family according to both their needs and lifestyles
to ensure that the relationship will be healthy
for everyone involved.
Children usually maintain regular contact with
their biological parents, with visits at our offices
or at the biological parent's home; or with telephone
calls. We encourage foster parents to help the
children reunite with the family when it is in
the best interest of the child.
There is a maximum of four foster children in
one home at one time. The Durham CAS is the legal
guardian of children in foster care. As such,
we provide support in a variety of ways for our
foster parents.
Some children may remain in foster homes for
many years, and develop very strong bonds with
their foster families.
Some foster homes provide only short-term receiving
care. They are on call 24 hours a day, seven days
a week.
A child remains in a receiving foster home for
up to thirty days, while we plan for regular,
long-term placement. We strive to assist foster
parents with dealing with all of the children's
needs. If a foster parent is unable to care for
a particular child, we will attempt to seek an
alternate placement.
There are also varying levels of part-time foster
care that accommodate children in care on a relief
basis.
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