Become A Foster Parent
Kina Gbezhgomi and Family Services is seeking loving, safe Anishnabek caregivers for Anishnabek children that require foster care. Many of these children are your neighbours, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and community members. However, each year many Anishnabek children are placed with non-Native foster families because we do not have enough Anishnaabe homes available. Our communities have the knowledge, skills, and family networks to take care of our children. We need Anishnabek people like you to become foster care givers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do foster parents do?
The role of the foster family is to provide a safe and nurturing home until the birth family is ready to meet the needs of their child. Foster parents help the child to understand what is happening and to cope with their feelings during this difficult time. They need to be able to respond to the child with patience, calm, love and guidance. Foster parents are vitally important in supporting the child’s relationship with their birth family.
Why do children require foster care?
There are a variety of reasons why children in our communities might require the care of a foster family.
These include:
- Neglect, physical or sexual abuse
- Emotional harm and/or exposure to conflict
- Child has been abandoned or orphaned
- Conflict betwen the child and the caregiver
- Current caregiver has a demonstrated inability to care for or protect the child
How are foster parents supported?
Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services assist foster parents by providing:
- 24 hour support
- Home visits
- Resources for meeting the child’s needs
- Compensation for Expenses and daily care
- Reimbursement for cultural activities, sports and recreation
- Education training supports
Foster Care Arrangements
There are three common foster care arrangements facilitated by Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services.
Regular Home
Provides all essential elements of family life a child needs throughout his/her placement. Here the child can be integrated into the foster family and have his/her needs met by functioning with a family routine/structures.
Customary Care Home
A specific home for a specific child. The Provisional Foster Parents agree to care for the child but do not wish to foster other children.
Relief Home
Provides Foster Care to children already placed in a Kina Gbezhgomi and Family Services or Society Foster Home, which can allow a regular home care giver their entitled two (2) days of relief each month.
Become A Foster Parent Today!
If you are interested in fostering, contact our Foster Care Department to discuss the program in more detail. We will begin a Foster Care Home Study that includes the following:
- Police vulnerable sector check and CAS record checks (all household members, 18 years and older)
- Personal references
- Medical support
- Housing and safety review
- Individual interviews for household members (6 years of age and older)
Foster parents can decide to provide care for specific children known to them through kinship or customary care or provide regular care to First Nations’ children as required. Foster parents are urgently needed to provide regular care, specialized and therapeutic foster care services, as well as relief services.
Become a foster parent today and help our Anishnabek children to stay connected with our communities.
Foster Care Program Outline
Kina Gbezhgomi Child And Family Services Is Licensed To Provide Foster Care Services Under The Child And Family Services Act. The Agency Is Responsible For Recruiting Foster Parents; Conducting Home Studies; Approving And Supervising Foster Homes; Providing Support To Foster Parents; Receiving Referrals For Placements From CAS; And Matching Placement Requests With Available Foster Care Resources. And To Maintain The Necessary Links With The Placing Agency And Collaterals To Ensure That The Needs Of The Child(Ren) And Foster Parent Are Met, While The Child(Ren) Are In Care.
Purpose
The Foster Care Program provides temporary family-based care within the First Nations Membership of the United Chiefs and Council of Manitoulin and Wikwemikong Unceded Territory. The Foster Care Program continually reinforces Native values, customs and traditions by maintaining and supporting the cultural bond between the child in care and his/her community.
This tertiary level of prevention services is provided to children when child maltreatment has occurred. It focuses on children who have been abused or neglected. Tertiary services are more intrusive due to the risk of reoccurrence and the seriousness of the matter, most often referrals, treatment services, safe homes, specialized counselling, and the use of residential and/or foster care placements are the result/outcome.
Children under a temporary care agreement or those that require protection services under the Child and Family Act, are provided with a familiar environment, either it be with family, extended family, in their own community or a neighbouring community. Eliminating geographic and cultural isolation. Reducing the interruption and imbalance of regular activity such as school change over and other stability measures in a child’s life, which will ultimately minimize any trauma and undue stress.
Licensing
The Child and Family Services Act and accompanying regulations along with the Ministry procedural and policy directives, form the basis for licensing and outline the minimum requirements of a service provider. This licensing is a systematic means of assessing whether or not, a basic level of care and safety is being provided to children in care.
Advancement
Kina Gbezhgomi Child and Family Services Foster Care Department has continued to enhance services through the development of exceptional programs for foster families and foster children, specifically the delivery of the Therapeutic Foster Care program that has been implemented in 2005-06 and is aimed to offer care for children between the ages of 6 – 12 years of age that present high need behaviours and require a treatment approach to experience success within a home environment.