FAQ

• Fostering is temporary care for children who cannot live with their families. The goal is to return children to their natural family as soon as safely possible.
• Fostering is a family or single person opening their home to care for a child or youth and sharing their love and commitment.
• Foster parents provide nurturance and physical care.
• It is a service helping others in your community.

• Anyone, 19 years or older, who wants to share their home with a child in need can apply.
• Single people, couples and families – with or without children.
• You can work part-time, full-time, or be a stay-at-home parent.
• It is not necessary to own your own home, your financial situation need not be a barrier, but foster parents must have the maturity and capacity to carry out the day-to-day duties and responsibilities required to care for a child and  meet the child’s needs.

By becoming a foster care provider, you will have the opportunity to temporarily care for and support a child or young person at a time when they most need it.

You can make  a real difference by promoting their development, building their self confidence, raising their aspirations and nurturing them in a safe and caring family environment.

Ask yourself this question: Can I commit myself and my family to helping children grow, providing care and love, and be able to let them go back to their own families when the time comes?

Children in foster care range in age from newborn infants to youth of 19 years and come from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. They come into care for many different reasons. These reasons rarely occur in isolation, and many children will have experienced more than one.

• Neglect
• Emotional abuse
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Child has support needs
• Family Violence
• Parents or Guardian Deceased
• Family is unable or unwilling to provide care

Most children enter foster care because of abuse, neglect or abandonment. If the problems leading to placement are solved, children may be returned home. If not, children may become available for adoption. Children in care range in age from birth to 18 years of age and have various backgrounds.

Foster parents can specify the specific needs, age, gender and number of children they wish to care for.

1. Complete the Foster Parent Questionnaire and Application and return it to the MCFD office. 
2. A Resource Worker will contact you to arrange a personal intake interview at MCFD.  Please ensure your Questionnaire and Application has the best telephone number or email included with it so we may reach you. 
3. Following the personal interview,  your application  may be sent to the HUB for screening. If you screen in, the HUB will invite you to the  Pre-Service Foster Parent Orientation Program called PRIDE.
4. Once you have completed half of the PRIDE Pre-Service Training, a Resource Worker can start your SAFE home study.

*HUB The Hub is the centralised provincial office that processes foster parent application packages (e.g. references and police checks).

There is no set length for a foster placement. It depends on the circumstances of the child and his/her birth family. When a child is placed in your home, there may be an estimated length of time the child is expected to stay.

You do not have to be married. You can be single, divorced, or legally separated.

Foster and adoptive parents may own or rent, their home or condo. Families who rent must have their landlord’s permission to become foster parents.

Foster parents can work outside of the home. However, in most cases, having one parent at home, or having a flexible or part-time position often works best for the children.

“Safe Babies” are infants who have been exposed pre-natally to drugs and/or alcohol. Many are born addicted and require specialized care.

Yes. Because of the nature of their situation, homes that will be accepted into the Safe Baby program do have specific requirements, such as being a two parent home, with no other children under the age of 10 and “ideally” with one or both parents having some specialized training.

The biggest need is loving families for Teens and Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN).

After you have completed the PRIDE* Pre-Service Orientation and become an approved foster parent, you are required to complete the mandatory PRIDE  In-Service Training estimated to be 55 hours over 40 weeks.  These free courses are online and facilitated by a trainer.

Additionally there are specialized courses available depending on the need that approved caregivers have and are eligible for.  These may include:

• Safe Babies Training
• Emergency First Aid
• Attachment Parenting
• Cultural Agility
• Trauma Informed Care

* Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education

There are no fees associated with becoming approved foster or adoptive parents. The home study and training are provided free of charge.

Yes. You will receive a payment designed to cover expenses such a board, food, clothing, recreation, etc. Amounts vary based on the type of care you provide. It is best not to view foster care as employment as the payment generally covers the expenses of the child.

A break down of the different type of rates can be found by visiting:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/fostering/currentfostercaregivers/foster-caregiverpayments