MPP JOURNAL for the week of August 20, 2021

Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey in Need of Foster Parents

As parents, we hope to provide our children with the necessities of life. Many of us succeed by providing shelter, food, and especially love to our young ones. Some of us take it for granted that we can hug and kiss our children, and indeed, they deserve to have a home with loving parents.

As it turns out, there are some children that do not have a loving home. Children are abused, neglected, unloved. For many different reasons, their parents cannot provide them with the necessities of life.

Children's Aid Society's (CAS) and Child and Family Services are in place to help children who are in situations like this. These non-profit agencies are responsible for the safety and protection of all children. Their first priority is to keep the family unit together and strong, by providing adequate support. Unfortunately in some cases, this is not always possible.

The CAS and Child and Family Services are responsible for finding families that can temporarily take children into their loving family. Foster parents are able to provide a supportive and stable home that will encourage the growth and development of a child. Foster parents are adults who understand how to parent. They are caring individuals who are sensitive to the needs of children. Foster Parents are always needed.

If you are interested in becoming a Foster Parent, you will be sent a Foster Parent application package, by your local CAS or Child and Family Services, which fully explains the process of being selected. All members of your household family will be interviewed, including any friends or family who come into the house to provide relief to the parents, such as grandparents or family friends. The staff of CAS or Child and Family Services wants to see the chemistry of the family, to best match your family with the children you would look after.

All members of the family aged 18 or older are also required to participate in a police record check. Here the members of the CAS or Child and Family Services are able to see if there is any previous record of drug or alcohol abuse or child abuse. The idea of a Foster Family is to take a child from a home with potential abuse and place them into a safe and loving home.

After the interview process is finished, the staff of the agency you are working with will tour your home to make sure that it is safe and that the basic necessities are going be provided to the child.

After speaking with members of Child and Family Services and CAS, it is important to note that upon becoming a Foster parent, you must work hard and cooperatively with the staff of these agencies to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

An immediate need for Foster Families exists within Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey. Dufferin Child and Family Services have approximately 98 children in care, and are in need of 40 more foster families. Grey-Owen Sound Children's Aid Services are looking to recruit about 50 foster families within the next year, as well as Guelph-Wellington Family and Children Services. Peel Children's Aid is in great need of foster families within the Caledon and Bolton area, only having around 4 families to help those in need in these areas.

If you would like to become a Foster Parent, please contact your local CAS or Child and Family Services office. For the local office near you, click here or contact my office at 1-800-265-1603.

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