What are the benefits of foster care?

Foster care provides children and youth with an alternate family setting during a time of crisis. Children may need foster care for just a few days, a week, several months, or possibly even years. During that time, foster caregivers provide stability and a caring home to support the needs of children and youth. In most situations children placed in foster care are reunified with their parents, families, and communities. In other situations, foster care can be longer term, including until children and youth transition from care or to other permanency options.

At HCFS we are actively working with the biological family to create safety plans to return children home safely. It is crucial that foster parents work alongside the team to assist with re-integrating the child with their family. When a reunion is not possible, the plan may include kinship, adoption, or an alternative permanency plan. Foster families play an essential role in the child’s daily life and are a important part of the planning stages.  The stable and caring home environment that foster families provides helps encourage healthy growth and development.

What help and support is available through fostering?

As a foster caregiver, you are not alone. You are part of a team that supports children and youth, including their families, extended families and communities, child welfare professionals, and community organizations that work together to ensure their safety and well-being and to support their plan of care. Your own needs will also be supported by a child welfare professional during your fostering journey.

How long does it take to become a foster caregiver?

The timeframe to become a foster caregiver can vary. The training process takes at least a few months. The timing of the home study process varies. Having time helps caregivers prepare and transition into their new role. At HCFS we utilize PRIDE and SAFE to assist the homestudy worker in the completion of their assessment.

PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) which is a model for the development and support of all families interested in providing a loving and supportive home to a child (ren).  

The PRIDE pre-service training program is designed to teach knowledge and skills in six essential competency categories:

Protecting and nurturing children;

Meeting children’s developmental needs, and addressing developmental delays;

Supporting relationships between children and their families;

Connecting children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last and a lifetime;

Participating as a member of a professional team; and

Reinforcing a child’s heritage and cultural identity.

All foster, kinship care, formal customary care and adoption applicants in Ontario are required to attend the 27 hours of PRIDE pre-service training by the Ministry of Child and Family Services.

SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) is the modality that HCFS utilizes to complete the home study. 

Do you need to have two adults in the home to foster?

No. Foster caregivers are diverse. They are single people and couples. They might be family or community members who work together to provide a home, including adult siblings or multi-generational caregivers. Foster caregivers reflect diverse identities and cultures. When foster caregivers come from similar backgrounds to the children and youth they are caring for, they are well-positioned to provide informed, culturally appropriate, identity-affirming care.

Do you to be a Canadian Citizen to be foster?

No. You are required to be a permanent resident at the time of your application as we understand that this process does take some time.

What kind of financial compensation do foster caregivers receive?

Compensation for foster caregivers varies. The level of financial support that foster caregivers receive may relate to the needs of the child or youth placed in the home and the experience of the caregiver. For example, care for a medically fragile child may result in a specialized (i.e., higher) rate. Child welfare agencies review their rates regularly and adjust for factors such as cost of living. Child welfare agencies also provide other aspects of compensation, including mileage and training reimbursement, for example.

What kind of relationship do foster caregivers have with parents/primary caregivers?

Foster caregivers provide essential support in maintaining connections for children and youth with parents, along with extended family and community members, while they are in care. Coming into foster care is a risk to children and youth’s safety and well-being due to the separation they can experience. Foster caregivers play a valuable role in supporting children, youth, and families during challenging times. Foster caregivers often begin to get to know families by taking children and youth to visits, collaborating during planning meetings, and supporting transition plans.

What is the difference between foster care, kinship care, and customary care?

Foster care is when children and youth are placed in licensed family-based placements with people they don’t know. Kinship care is similar, but in these situations children and youth are being placed with biologically related kin, members of cultural communities, or individuals with other social, emotional, or community connections, such as teachers, coaches, or neighbours. Finally, customary care refers to placements where the care of a First Nation, Inuk, or Métis (FNIM) child or youth is provided by someone who is not their parent and follows the customs and traditions of their FNIM community or band.

Can fostering lead to adoption?

Fostering should not be considered a route to adoption, as the goal of fostering is different—to support family reunification. Over the last five years, the number of adoptions of young people in the child welfare system has steadily decreased because the child welfare sector has been focused on supporting children and youth to remain safely in their families and communities.

Children and youth needing adoptive families outside of their families are often older, sibling groups, have experienced trauma, and may have complex medical needs. The goal is always to ensure caregivers reflect racial, cultural, religious, and identity considerations. Foster caregivers may put forward an adoption plan for a child or youth if reunification efforts have been exhausted.

To learn more about the adoption process in Ontario, visit the Central Adoption Intake Service via the Adoption Council of Ontario at www.adoption.on.ca.

Other FAQs

All pet care is required to meet veterinarian recommendations and caregivers need to follow local bylaw standards.

Foster parents who smoke may care for children over the age of 6 and who are not medically compromised, however they must limit their smoking to outside of the home and may not smoke while transporting children in their vehicles.

Each child’s school and educational needs are considered when placed in a foster home. These situations are all unique and managed individually.

We recognize everyone’s lived experience is unique. The information provided here is a guideline.  We encourage you to reach out and speak to an assessment worker about whether fostering is a good fit for you.