By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Canada Celebrates National Foster Family Week

Oct 23, 2016 | 11:39 AM

ALBERTA – This weekend (Oct. 22-23) wrapped up National Foster Family Week in Canada.

Alberta recognizes this week as Foster and Kinship Caregiver Week, to acknowledge the breadth of care to support vulnerable children in the province.

Alan Chant, placement resource coordinator said that intervention practices among child services is often misinterpreted.

“Removing the child is our absolute last resort. Keeping the child within the family is our top priority. All of our resources and planning goes into keeping the child with their biological family.”

In his 15 years in the field, Chant noted that the province of Alberta has made a positive shift towards a Signs and Safety Approach.”

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“We are trying to find safety for children in their natural family network. Everyone has aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbours and we are pushing to include all of those people already in the child’s life.”

He said that this has worked remarkably well with a new Blackfoot cultural program where foster parents integrate Blackfoot culture and encourage their children to learn about their culture and meet with biological relatives and community mentors.

Chant said that he still encounters misconceptions around who can qualify to become a foster parent.

“Applicants might think that they have to be in a two-parent long term marriage/relationship and have stable employment. This is not always true. Some of the best foster parents are people who have been through struggles themselves and they can be patient and compassionate.”

In Alberta there are approximately 1,900 foster homes and 1,600 kinship homes where children are cared for by extended family or someone the child knows well.

About 3,600 children live in foster care and 1,700 are in kinship care.

The Alberta government is always looking for more caregivers, especially caregivers with Indigenous backgrounds and those willing to care for older children or children with complex needs.