Types of Foster Care

There a number of ways in which a family can provide a fostering service – each with its particular purpose and per diem rate. They are described as follows:

Regular Foster Families

Regular foster families protect and nurture the majority of children in care by providing a stable home environment. Foster families provide all the essential elements of daily family life that a child needs.

Customary Care

Customary care relates to the care of First Nations/Aboriginal children. It is founded on the fundamental principle that the responsibility for the safety and well being of the child rests with the family. When the family's ability to meet the responsibility for the child is compromised, then responsibility extends outward to the extended family and to the First Nations community.

Emergency Assessment Foster Families

Emergency assessment foster families take children on short notice in crisis situations, until longer term arrangements can be made. If you become an emergency foster family, you could receive calls at any time of the day or night.

Specialized or Treatment Foster Families

Specialized or treatment foster families are experienced and specifically trained to provide care for children and youth with challenging emotional, behavioural, medical or physical needs. Specialized training, supervision and clinical supports are part of this team approach.

Relief or Respite Families

Relief or Respite families provide a very valuable service by caring for children in care for short periods of time to support a foster family placement. Most foster families receive one weekend of relief per month. In some circumstances, the agency also provides this support service for families whose children are not in care but require assistance to maintain the ongoing care of their children.

Kinship Care Families

The Kinship care families program recognizes the importance of connections and continuity for children, and recognizes the strengths of families in helping each other. Kin placements occur when children or youth are cared for by members of their family or community. These families are supported as part of a Children's Aid Society network of family based care.

Resource Foster Families

Resource foster families are families who foster "with the intent to adopt". Children are only placed with resource foster families when it is felt that there is a strong possibility that the children will not be able to return to live with their birth family or a kinship placement. Resource foster parents understand that the Children's Aid Society will continue to work with birth parents and look for kinship placements for the child placed with them. Resource foster parents understand that in some cases the child may leave their care to be placed with birth family or community members. Recognizing this, they also commit to adopt the child who is placed with them if this is determined to be the best permanent plan for the child. Resource foster care allows children to be placed with a possible permanent family as soon as possible, which minimize the number of changes, and transitions that have to be faced by those children.

Host Families

Host families undergo screening, training and orienting experience of a foster family, by the Children's Aid Society. Host families work directly with clients of Pathways for Children and Youth, a children's mental health organization.

Host families are part of a team, which includes parents, children and agency staff who are working with identified treatment goals. Families who are experiencing difficulties make the decision for out of home support in order to preserve their family relationships.

Parents retain their full parental rights and responsibilities, thus there is a high degree of parental involvement in the treatment process.