Foster Care

The cornerstone resource for our Children's Aid Society is our Fostering Program

Initial Call

The first step to becoming a foster parent is to have your questions and concerns answered. Your first contact gives you the opportunity to ask those questions.

To learn more about becoming a resource parent or learning about foster care, please contact Tina at 705-949-0162 extension 310, or email resourcefamilies@algomacas.org

The Assessment Process

The Society must have a large pool of foster homes throughout the District of Algoma. The Society continues to place emphasis on the recruitment of foster homes.

The development of a successful foster home program begins with a review of applications.
Following the initial screening of applications, it is necessary to do a thorough assessment of the family’s ability to provide quality care within a unique child welfare environment.
The assessment stage looks for factors such as the ability to work with children in times of turmoil and to work with the primary family, CAS workers, and other service providers.
To adequately assess the applicants’ capabilities requires unique skills and a tremendous investment of time.
The applicants’ personal situation, home environment, and reference checks are assessed prior to approval.
As well, applicants must also complete pre-service training as part of the foster approval process. This involves reviewing the reasons children come into care and the demands placed on foster parents.
The training also provides basic information on behaviour management and sensitizes new foster parents to the signs of abuse and neglect.

Once a home is approved, foster parents are assigned a Foster Care Coordinator who meets with them on a regular basis to answer questions, provide guidance and support.

Foster Care Coordinators play a key role in the development and retention of the foster homes as they address issues that arise before they become overwhelming.
As well, Coordinators are able to identify training/support needs that will help foster parents develop the skills they require to provide quality care for the unique needs of the child and families they will be working with.

Guiding Principles

The safety and well being of children is paramount.
The family is the preferred environment for children.
Every child has the right to family, ideally to their family of origin.
Every child has a right to maintain his/her identity with his/her family of origin.
If a child cannot live with their family of origin, the foster family must respect and support the importance of the family of origin.
Foster Care does not replace the child’s primary family, but adds to it: “Families helping Families”
The Children’s Aid Society of Algoma maintains responsibility for decision making in partnership with the Child Protection Worker, foster parents, the primary family and, where possible, the children to make decisions about the child’s plan of care.

Foster Care Program

Foster care is always the preferred placement option for children who cannot remain in the parental home because it provides a family-oriented environment. Foster care allows the children to remain in his/her own community with a family that has a similar social, cultural, and religious background to the child and his/her family. Foster Care does not replace the child’s primary family, but adds to it: “Families helping Families”

Foster parents come from all walks of life with a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They act as role models, teachers, and nurturers and provide a stable caring home for children.
Foster parents are concerned people in the community who want to help provide a safe, nurturing place for children who cannot live in their own home.

Children range in age from infancy to 18 and come from all ethnic backgrounds.

Foster parents may be:

Male or female
Married or single
18 years of age or older
Have grown children or still in the home

Ways you can help:

Respite/Relief
Emergency
Short or long term care to a child

Foster Parent Criteria

Caring for someone else’s child is a significant responsibility and requires specific criteria to be met under both Ministry standards and internal agency policies.

As every applicant has unique life experiences and current situations, each application is assessed individually. If an issue is identified that would preclude you from the application process, your assessment worker will discuss this with you.

If you are unsure about a situation in your life that may exclude you, call us! We can help you identify whether you meet the criteria necessary to foster.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO - Foster parents are desperately needed in the Algoma region