The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa has a need for more foster parents
Could you make room in your life to care for a child in need?
According to The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, there is an urgent need to increase the number of foster families in the city. While the demand for foster parents is growing, experienced foster parents are retiring, and there aren’t enough new families coming on board to close the gap.
Stacey Fragiskos, who oversees Resource Services for The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, said people sometimes have a misconception of who can become a foster parent. In fact, it is critical to recruit foster families with backgrounds as diverse as those of the children who need care.
“People don’t always understand what fostering is and who these parents could be,” said Fragiskos. “Foster parents can be single, married, or common-law, or in a same-sex relationship. Being a parent is not a prerequisite. They can be people who work outside the home, raising their own children, an empty nester, or retired.”
Children enter foster care when their parents are temporarily unable to care for them. In some cases, the parents may be struggling with addiction, mental health issues, or physical illness. Children may be in care for as little as a few days, or may stay with a foster family for weeks or even months until their biological family can resume caring for them.
“We hope the need for foster care is temporary,” said Fragiskos. “While we care for their children, there is a plan in place for the parents to address their challenges. We hope the parents can take care of their needs so they can return to parenting their children on a full-time basis.”
When the biological parent is not able to provide for the child’s needs, workers look first to relatives to see if an aunt, uncle or grandparent is willing to take them in. If no relative is available, they turn to family friends, and adults already in the child’s life, such as coaches or teachers. When no one connected to the child is able to care for them, staff turn to foster families for help.
To ensure as much cultural and social continuity as possible in these children’s lives, Fragiskos said it’s important to have an extensive group of foster parents with similar cultural backgrounds as the children who need care.
“Like any relationship, the more you have in common, the more likely the connection will be strong. With continuity comes security and stability.”
Ideally, foster parents are adults with stable lifestyles who are open, adaptable and understanding. They are willing to accept a child and love them unconditionally, and can dependably provide security, stability and safety—something vitally important for a child whose life has become unpredictable.
While most children are placed with foster families who take them into their own homes, The Children’s Aid Society also needs caregivers for their parent model homes. These foster parents move into a home with up to three youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are in foster care. This is an option that may suit single people or couples with no children at home who don’t have space in their existing home to welcome a child.
While becoming a foster parent is not without its challenges, Fragiskos said both financial and emotional support is provided. Foster families receive extensive training and are not expected to pay out of pocket for food, clothing, recreation and other needs of the foster children in their care.
“A foster parent is never alone in their journey to foster,” she noted.
Many foster parents find deep meaning and joy in being there to support children who are going through a difficult time in their lives. While foster children stay with families on a temporary basis, many families remain connected with the children after they return home or find a permanent place with an adoptive family.
“Foster parents truly feel enriched by the experience. They are compassionate people who have a lot of love in their home and in their heart and they want to share this with others,” Fragiskos said. “Often the connection that’s made through fostering lasts a lifetime.”
For more information about becoming a foster parent, visit casott.on.ca/en/fostering or call The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa at
613-742-1620, extension 1.