MORRISBURG – Plenty of people want to make a difference in the life of a child, but not enough of them are going the extra distance to foster children in their homes.
Across The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and the City of Cornwall there are only 27 fostering locations.
So, the need for people wanting to open their home to children between the ages of 0 to 18 is significant.
Because of this lack of foster parents, the local Children’s Aid Society is actively recruiting people to become part of the fostering community.
Kimberly Gill and Stephanie Powis came to The Morrisburg Leader office last week to talk about the urgent need and their desire to get more people, especially in smaller communities within the counties, to consider fostering.
“Sometimes children need to come into care and we don’t have a lot of homes in the counties where they can be placed,” said Gill.
Having to take a child into care is already a stressful situation, but having to take a child into care and take them from their familiar village/rural setting to place them in an available city home, and take them away from their community schools and community extracurricular activities only adds to the upheaval.
No matter marital status, orientation, religion, or economic status Children’s Aid is willing to consider anyone willing to work with them to provide children with a safe place.
Foster care is meant to be short term, but can take many forms such as foster parent relief, before and after school help and more.
“Children aren’t in care forever,” said Powis.
“We’re not looking for people to adopt children, just people who are willing to be part of a child’s story,” said Gill.
Foster parents do not receive a salary but those who foster are not expected to pay out of pocket for the children they are caring for. Children’s Aid covers all the costs associated with meeting a child’s needs with ample compensation.
The process to become a foster parent starts with a simple phone call to Children’s Aid at 613-933-2292. Phones are answered there 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Simply by expressing an interest in fostering, the staff at Children’s Aid will guide you through the process.
Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to reach out if they are considering fostering. “Or, if you think you’re too old – you’re not,” added Powis.
Children’s Aid recognizes that people work, may have other children, and may only be available part time – that’s all fine and workable.
“What we need is for people to reach out and offer what they can, and we will try to make something work,” said Powis.
People sometimes shy away from fostering because of the approval process which can take about six months for the necessary site visits, vulnerable sector checks, and training.
“But if you can look past the process, the impact you will have on the life of a child is huge,” said Gill.
The team at Children’s Aid will lead you through the process. “Our job is to support those who are fostering,” added Powis.
For those who have even just a casual interest in fostering, Gill said: “We want to hear from you.”
There is no pressure to complete the process, they just want to talk about fostering to see if it would be a good fit. “If it works, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s absolutely fine too,” said Gill. She explained that they want to help demystify the process and talk about the realities foster parents will face.
“We’re here to figure it out together,” said Gill.
The goal is to add 10 new foster families to the community by June 2025.