Feature: Foster homes lifeline for Canadian orphans
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E-mail Xinhua, February 6, 2013
In a province where 16,000 children are not living with their biological parents, the foster care system in British Columbia is making a difference in the lives of kids who have gotten off to a rough start in life.
With many people looking to start families through adoption, their preference is nearly always for infants or young children. As it is, for those slightly older, many of these children often go unwanted yet are still in need of a home.
If a relative cannot be found to care for an orphaned child, in the western Canadian province he or she will be placed in the foster care system.
Essentially, a foster parent, or caregiver, takes such children into their home and provides them with a family situation. While in an ideal situation a child would stay in one home until reaching legal age, foster children move seven times on average in an often-volatile upbringing, according to Corina Carroll, the program director at the SOS Children's Village in Surrey, B.C..
"I think as youth get older, you know, their personalities really start to come out, and it might be difficult for them to transition into something that's permanent when they've never experienced that," she said.
"You have to understand these kids come from background where they may have been abandoned or rejected, so it's very difficult for them to form trusting relationships."
At the SOS Children's Village in the Vancouver-suburb city, the only Canadian facility among the 450 child welfare operations run by the global non-governmental organization, five large houses sitting on a one-hectare lot provide a home for 20 children who may not have previously known such a luxury.
With a caregiver in each of the homes that back onto a large wooded area SOS owns for future expansion, among the current facilities at the village are an onsite playground, basketball court and a clubhouse that acts as a central meeting place.
Carroll told Xinhua the ample space is beneficial to supporting local families and children who are in need of help to shape their future. Among the support available to them are art and play therapies, social and life skills training, youth mentorship, music lessons, and camp, recreation and cultural exploration.
There is also support for caregivers.
"Here at the village we give 'wrap-around' support," said Carroll. "So we have foster parents taking care of children in care and we want to give those children every opportunity that any other child might have. We always recognize that every kid is unique, so they may have different needs. We want to make sure we're meeting those needs."
In B.C., adoptions are traditionally made through the Ministry of Children and Family Development. At any time, the ministry will have around 1,000 children available for adoption.
For some of the children, who range in ages and needs, adoption may never happen and this is where foster parents come in. A foster parent is paid by the ministry for their care of a child who is awaiting adoption. For prospective families looking to adopt, the adult members first have to meet with a social worker, fill out an application and discuss their situation.
A home study is then conducted to provide information, such as medical details and consenting to references and medical and criminal checks, among others, to determine the best match. If approved, a social worker will start the matching process. Once matched, visits with the child, both in their community and eventually at the adopting family's home, will begin to hopefully foster a relationship.
If the family has any doubt about a match at this point, they will be asked to speak with a social worker. If everything proceeds well, the social worker will make a decision on the suitability of the decision and a placement will usually be made.
Following six months of a child living in his placement home, if all parties are satisfied, the social worker will apply to the court for an adoption order. While the child will become a legal, permanent member of his adoptive family, the director of child protection remain his or her guardian. In the first six months of the placement, a social worker will visit the home at least three times in this important adjustment period to ensure the setting is right.
SOS's Carroll said for those who never get adopted, many are fortunate enough to be placed with "great foster parents" willing to take care of them.
"I like to say that foster families are families by design. You may have a family of origin, but you can also design a family. Our foster parents are extremely loving, committed, dedicated and they'll do what's best for the children," she said.
"I've seen some amazing foster parents who have inspired children to go beyond what the barriers were previously. We've had kids graduating at numbers that weren't seen before." Endi
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