Foster a Child, Change a Life
Make a difference in the life of a child and your own!
When a family becomes involved with Hamilton Child and Family Supports (formerly The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton), the organization makes every effort to keep children in their own home. When this is not possible and a relative or kin are not able to step in, a child may be brought into the care of HCFS. Foster family care is the first choice in these situations because most children’s needs are best met in a family environment.
Foster Families
Foster caregivers provide a stable and supportive home for children who need a temporary place to live. They provide day-to-day care, including supervision, guidance, and affection. Children may be placed with a foster family for a few days, several months, and sometimes even years, depending on their situation. It is always the hope that in time a child can be reunited with their family.
HCFS’s foster caregivers come from a variety of backgrounds and can be single, including LGBTQ2S+, married or living in a common-law relationship, and with or without children of their own. They range in age from their twenties to senior citizens. They also represent a range of cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.
Children in Care
Children are in foster care for different reasons including neglect, abuse, family conflict, and parental illness. They come from many different and diverse backgrounds from low income to the affluent; they could live next door, attend your place of worship, or be playmates of your children. They are members of your community. Children entering foster care range in age from newborns to 16. Foster caregivers may choose the age range and gender of the child they care for.
Hamilton Child and Family Supports has a need for foster caregivers to care for children and teens of all ages including sibling groups. To care for a child under age 5, one caregiver must be home full-time.
Why Foster
There are many reasons people decide to foster. For some people there is a personal connection: they either knew someone who was in care as a child or perhaps know someone who is a foster caregiver. Often, people think about fostering for years before they find themselves in a position to take it to the next step. Sometimes, fostering presents itself when a child known to a family is in need of a safe and stable home.
Everyone who fosters has chosen to make children a big part of their life. Many foster caregivers are inspired by the idea of making a difference in the life of someone less fortunate. Some view fostering as a way of giving back to one’s community. Others credit their faith as their primary motivation.
On a more practical level, some families opt to foster because it fits in well with their lifestyle. Some families who have young children of their own view fostering as an alternative to working outside the home. Since one parent is already home full-time, fostering makes sense. Other couples, including retirees, may have children who have grown and left home yet they still have a desire to care for younger children.
Some families feel that they are fortunate to have a safe and happy home and wish to share their life with a child who needs such a home.