Information For Foster Carers
What is fostering?
Fostering is a way of providing family life for someone else's child in your own home when they are unable to live with their birth family. This can be due to many reasons- illness, relationship problems, family breakdown or perhaps a situation where the child's welfare is threatened. Unlike adoption, the child remains the legal responsibility of the Provincial Child Welfare Authority and/or their birth parents.
Foster carers provide a safe, secure and stable environment for these children and young people and in many cases will work towards reuniting the child with their birth family.
What is adoption?
Adoption is the legal process by which all parental rights and responsibilities are permanently transferred to the adoptive parents by the court.
Why do children come into care?
Many children who need a new family have experienced some degree of neglect and/or physical, emotional or sexual abuse and all of them will have experienced loss and separation from their birth family. Even if the children present as happy and smiling, their past experiences will have an effect on their behaviour and development.
Who are the children that come into care?
Some children express their emotions and feelings through difficult or challenging behaviour, such as tantrums, being withdrawn, aggressive, clingy, rejecting and over-compliant. Other children may act older or younger than their years or as a result of being placed with many different carers, may not know what is expected of them or may find it difficult to develop trusting relationships with adults.