Foster Care

Foster care describes the unique situation of providing temporary family-based care to a child or youth who cannot currently remain in their own home.

The goal of the foster care system is to have children return to their family homes. If this is not possible, the goal becomes to arrange a permanent home through adoption or private guardianship or to prepare youth to live independently.

Foster children range in age from newborn to 17. Children in care come from all backgrounds and have a wide variety of personalities, interests, skills, and emotional and medical needs. Most have come into care due to various forms and levels of abuse or neglect or, sometimes, due to their special needs.

While foster care is only temporary, the impact that a stable, supportive and caring home can have during critical stages of development is remarkable. Many children go on to succeed in school, at work, at home, in their community and, most importantly, in life.

Like all children, children in care need a home where they are nurtured and loved. They need caregivers who can be understanding, and who can provide the consistency, structure, security, and healthy role-modeling they need to thrive.

Trellis is an inclusive agency that welcomes foster parents of all identities, ethnicities, religions and walks of life. Foster parents can be single or married, renters or homeowners, with or without children of their own, retired or working outside of the home. We believe having diversity among our foster parents allows us to better match children and youth with a home that’s best for them. The following are the minimum requirements that must be met to be eligible to foster in Alberta:

• You must be a legal resident of Alberta and be at least 18 years old
• If cohabitating, you must be in a stable relationship for at least 12 months prior to applying
• You must be physically and mentally capable of meeting the child’s needs, with no major illnesses or traumas in the past 12 months
• You must presently have an income that allows you to live within your means (compensation provided to foster parents is only enough to cover the basic costs of caring for a child)

After an initial conversation with Trellis, you will receive the application paperwork. This includes a questionnaire about you and your family, and a consent form for referral checks. You will also be required to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Police Information Check and a Child and Youth Intervention Record Check. Completed documents are then carefully reviewed by the Trellis team who decide whether or not to proceed with your application. All prospective foster parents must then complete 35 hours of self-guided PRIDE Pre-Service training and a SAFE Home Assessment by a licensed assessor. In addition, foster parents must show proof of home and auto insurance, a completed medical reference, and Emergency First Aid with CPR certification. Once the screening and assessment process is complete, all paperwork is submitted to the Ministry of Children’s Services for licensing approval. After your application is reviewed and a successful safety inspection of your home is completed by Children’s Services, you will become a licensed foster home in the province of Alberta. Licensing is renewed on an annual basis through Children’s Services.

While this can be a lengthy process, these components are critical to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every child in care.

As part of the licensing process, a staff member from the Ministry of Children’s Services will visit your home. This involves a walkthrough of the physical space to ensure safety and adherence to standardized requirements set out by the government (such as fire safety). Children’s Services will also review your home assessment, background checks and training documents to ensure your home is a good fit for a foster placement. Your Trellis support worker will be there to guide you throughout the process, ensuring you understand each step and feel prepared.

Foster parents will collaborate with their support worker to decide the number of children their home is suitable to accommodate. Please note that the number of foster children in the home cannot exceed the number of available rooms as each child requires their own room. Foster parents always have the right to decline a placement if they feel like it is not a right fit for their family.

While each child and circumstance is unique, many foster children stay in touch with their former foster parents long after they move out of their home.

Caregivers who work out of the home and require childcare to support a foster child in their home, are encouraged to apply and discuss their individual circumstances to determine the best childcare options available (financial supports are available and this need is not a barrier to foster).