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Foster parents and their families provide a stable and supportive home environment for children who are in need of a safe, temporary place to live. Some families 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.
Many children come into the care of a Children's
Aid Society 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.
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Children are admitted to care through two approaches-through a voluntary agreement or by court order.
Voluntary admissions are classified as "'temporary care agreements," the parents
are temporarily unable to care for a child.
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.
- 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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Children and youth may need foster care for a variety of reasons. They have been harmed, or may have been at risk of harm; or their natural parents or guardians may not be able to care for them.
Each child is unique. Foster children range in age from infancy to age 18, and come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. The children and youth are going through troubled times with their natural family, and need care, protection and support.
The kind of harm a child may have experienced may include sexual, physical or emotional abuse, abandonment or chronic neglect. Many have had few role models and little encouragement to succeed.
In most cases, these young people have been
betrayed by adults. They are sometimes unwilling
or unable to trust adults, for fear of more rejection.
Some children and youth in care have taken on
parenting responsibilities for their brothers
and sisters. Many have experienced an unhappy
childhood. Some have had no childhood at all.
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Foster parents are individuals or couples with a genuine interest in children and a sense of community responsibility. They come from all walks of life, have a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and a variety of experiences with child care.
Some have experience raising their own children, or have professional experience related to child rearing. Some do not have any formal qualifications.
A basic understanding of the needs of children and/or youth, and a willingness to learn, is required. Love of young people, optimism, tolerance, patience and consistency are essential to the successful foster family.
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We support our foster parents in a variety of ways. Foster parents are paid a daily per diem per foster child or youth in the home. We ensure that other expenses are also covered such as clothing, medical and dental needs, and school and recreation related costs.
We also support our foster families in other
ways, such as:
- Initial training and ongoing educational opportunities.
- Regular professional support from our social workers.
- Access to therapeutic services that the child may need.
- Support from social workers beyond regular office hours.
- Access to our in-house Health Clinic.
- A regular newsletter to share news and help create bonds among foster parents.
- An annual dinner and celebration of our foster families.
Foster parents also have access to mutual support
and networking through the Foster Parent Association.
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Most importantly, you must be committed to providing a safe and stable home for a child. You must enjoy caring for children, and be prepared for both the challenges and the rewards that fostering offers.
You must:
- Reside in Durham region.
- Be at least 21 years of age.
- Be of good general health.
- Be financially self-sufficient.
- Have no criminal record or charges pending.
- Have stable family relationships, including being with or without a partner for at least two years.
- Have consent of all immediate family members.
- Have healthy individual and family histories.
There are other secondary qualifications, if you are interested in applying, please read the rest of the section on foster care.
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If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please contact us and request an application package. Once a completed application is received, we will contact you to arrange an initial home visit and family interview to determine your eligibility.
Eligible applicants attend mandatory training classes and we continue to conduct family interviews. The entire process may take approximately nine months.
The decision to become a foster parent is very significant. The
time spent in the approval process gives you time
to learn more about the process and think about
your decision carefully.
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 'Homes For Kids' was launched in October 2002. This innovative strategy is designed to attract more people
to care for children in need of foster care and to ensure a constant
supply of safe, nurturing homes for children and youth locally and
throughout Ontario's central region.
The number of children in care has grown significantly in recent years, which had made it necessary for us to reach out to the
community for support and to recruit more foster homes.
This initiative has been developed in collaboration
with the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Catholic
Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Jewish Family
and Child Services, Durham Children's Aid
Society, York Region Children's Aid Society, Peel
Region Children's Aid Society and Simcoe County
Children's Aid Society.
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