Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is foster care?
The Children's Aid Society is responsible for the safety and protection of children. Whenever possible, the CAS works to keep children in their own families. When this is not possible, a child may be brought into the care of the CAS. Foster care givers provide temporary homes for children while they are in care. While the legal responsibilities for the child remain with the CAS, foster families play an important role in the child's daily life.
2. Who are foster children?
Each child is unique. They are all going through a troubled time or they would not be coming into care. Some children may have been neglected, abused, or abandoned. Often they are children who do not want to come into care. Many children feel guilty about the condition that brought them into care. Foster families may choose a particular age group to work with in their home depending on their situation and the age of their own children.
3. Can I work when I am fostering?
We as an agency prefer if one parent is at home. In today's climate we know that is not always the case. Many of our foster care givers are working full time.
4. Do I get support from the agency?
Each foster family will have their own resource worker who is there to support them. Each child in care also has a support worker who sees the child and foster parent regularly.
5. How long will a child stay with you?
Some children are in care for a very short time (days/months) and some are in care longer. It will depend on their individual situation. Sometimes foster families make the commitment to raise a child if she/he is unable to return home. At times foster families have adopted children who they have developed a bond with and who have become wards of the courts with no access to their natural families.
6. Do children visit their natural families?
Most children have regular visits with their natural family. These visits can be supervised or unsupervised depending on the situation and what the court has ordered. Most children also have phone contact with their family.
7. What is the process to become a foster family?
After calling your local Children's Aid Society the staff will give you further details about becoming a foster care giver. Generally you will be invited to an information night. You also may be called by a foster family who will tell you about their experience. You may then have an initial interview with a resource worker. After attending a pre-service course the resource worker will begin your home study which may take 4-6 visits to your home (each visit lasting about two hours in duration). In total this process may take 4-6 months. As foster families the agency will expect that you will continue to take ongoing courses to assist you in understanding the children in your home.
8. How are foster care givers reimbursed?
Foster families receive daily, non-taxable compensation for the living expenses of each foster child in their home. Many other expenses are also covered, such as clothing, medical and dental costs, school supplies, recreation expenses and transit fares.