Foster Care

With more than 25 children already in foster care in Rainy River District and their numbers growing, Family and Children’s Services here is hoping an informational forum Feb. 14 will expand the pool of new families who can accommodate the needs of district children and teens.
The forum is slated from 7-9 p.m. at the FACS building (450 Scott St.), where people can learn more about the program, plus talk with families that currently are foster parents.
Application forms and brochures also will be available, with free babysitting for parents who bring along their children.
“Foster parents have the most experience [and] they can give the real, true idea of what fostering is all about,” Shanna Weir, foster care co-ordinator, said last week.
“The forum also will centre around the application process and the supports available to foster parents,” she added.
Weir said only 19 foster homes now exist between Mine Centre and Nestor Falls, with most of those located outside of Fort Frances.
“We’re not at a crisis at this point but we are at the point where we have fewer homes available,” Weir said.
“Fort Frances could really use more [foster homes]. It’s the biggest community in the district but has the least amount of foster parents,” she noted.
The program needs families for all levels of placement, from short-term to long-term, as well as different types for small children, special needs, off-reserve, First Nations children, and teens.
But the biggest hurdle is quashing the assumptions people have about what it takes to be a foster parent, Weir said.
The approval process, set out by the Ministry of Community and Social Services, has stringent guidelines, including police checks, medicals, and a detailed home environment study.
But both single and two-parent families, young and retired couples, are enthusiastically welcomed as candidates for the program.
Those approved as foster parents receive financial compensation, based on a variable per diem rate, when children are in their care.
On average, $25.71 per child per day is paid out to cover room and board costs.
Additional funds are available for child care, and personal care items such as diapers and formula, plus recreational costs and school supplies.
“A lot of people don’t know what [foster parenting] is all about [and] yes, single-parent families can be foster parents,” said Patti Anderson, who was hired by FACS to co-ordinate its foster parent recruitment.
Anderson also noted approved foster parents can look forward to a strong training and support system they can rely on.
For more information on the foster parent program, contact Weir at 274-7787.