Paige Desmond
FORT FRANCES—Children make up an important part of any community. And in this community, some are facing more than your average, everyday life challenges.
In Rainy River District right now, there are roughly 55 children and youths in foster care provided by Family and Children’s Services here.
The kids come from all different circumstances, ranging from situations of parental drug and alcohol abuse to domestic violence situations, abusive and neglectful homes, inadequate supervision and, often in the case of teens, parent-child conflict, according to Christa Little at FACS.
“But it’s not usually just one in isolation,” she said of the issues.
Complaints come in from everyone—sometimes resulting in immediate admission of the child(ren) into care, who then are placed in foster homes, matched as best as possible by FACS.
“They do what they can, absolutely,” Little said of the foster families, adding many have their own children.
And Little said there’s a constant need for more foster families. “We’re always looking for more families,” she stressed.
But families are not the only thing FACS needs. “When the kids come into care, often they don’t come with much,” child care worker Becky McClain admitted. She noted because children are not always coming from the best situations, all they may have when they get to their foster home is a few things in a garbage bag.
“A lot of foster children, especially older children, don’t have luggage,” echoed Little.
Little said donations from the public of new items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other hygiene supplies, as well as things like duffle bags or backpacks, would really help these children out.
“They’re going to a strange home with none of their belongings,” McClain noted.
Describing the idea of comforting the kids, McClain talked about being able to give them something small, such as a teddy bear. “In a home that’s not theirs, with a family that’s not theirs, and all they have to hold onto is their bear,” it gives comfort, she said.
But FACS has even more difficult things to contend with than a lack of practical items for the children. Both Little and McClain said there are a number of issues in the community itself that could make the lives of the kids’ easier, or perhaps result in fewer in foster care.
They point to the isolation of communities in the district as a major challenge. “Everything seems to take a lot longer,” said McClain.
The list of things which take too long is not short by any means.
First of all, there’s the travel time for workers visiting the various children in care. Because a worker may go to Atikokan, Fort Frances, and Rainy River in one day, the time spent with children is less than McClain would prefer.
“Travel time is huge,” agreed Little. But travel “is really not negotiable,” McClain asserted.
One of the most desperate problems affecting these kids, and the community, is the lack of access to addictions treatment in the immediate area. When a parent must go into treatment, for instance, the children often end up in foster care and for a long period of time because the parent must leave the area to receive help.
“Those resources aren’t there in the community,” explained Little. “There has to be more treatment resources for parents and children. There are long waiting lists.”
And with such a high proportion of the area population being aboriginal, McClain noted a shortage of aboriginal foster families is a definite challenge. “We don’t really have enough aboriginal homes,” she stressed.
When it comes to what the community needs to be improved, the pair point to more activities for youths. While they say there are some good options, sports in particular, both said more activities to keep kids out of mischief would be great for the area.
“Another thing that we see lacking is activities for youth,” Little remarked. “They need constructive, active activities to be doing.”
Talking about peer pressure, Little has seen that when a bunch of youths get together and are not actually doing an activity, it only leads to mischief, which is not good for the children or the community.
The activities need not carry a high price tag. “There need to be more low-cost or free [options],” asserted Little.
But until there is no longer a need for foster care, the team at Family and Children’s Services will continue with their work. Though it’s not an easy job, compassion is the order of the day.
“We have strong shoulders here in that we can take the brunt of the anger [from the kids],” Little said. “We’re making decisions based on what’s in their best interest.”
McClain admitted the kids do start arguments sometimes with their care worker because they may not like something. But, she said, “I’m not doing my job if they like me all the time.”
Still, the FACS team tries to be the one constant in the lives of foster kids, attending their graduations, school concerts, and other events important to them.
Despite all the challenges facing these kids and their caregivers, both McClain and Little spoke to the stigma often faced by foster kids, explaining there is one thing the community should keep in mind.
“Kids in foster care are just kids,” they stressed. “They’re no different than your kids or the kids next door.”
(Fort Frances Times)
