P.E.I. group homes may take in infants
'Can you imagine that there isn't a home for a child that is just coming from the hospital, just been born?'
The P.E.I. government is preparing to house infants in adolescent group homes, if needed.
Typically, infants in the province's care are placed in foster homes — but due to a dramatic drop in the number of foster families, Child Protection Services has installed cribs and other equipment needed to care for babies and toddlers in the province's five group homes.
"The concern would be that we would not have a suitable place for the child to be when they needed to come into care," said provincial coordinator for Child Protection Services Maureen MacEwen.
"We, as many other jurisdictions, are recognizing that we may need to place younger children in a group home for an emergency situation until a foster home placement is available."
Short-term solution
So far no young children have had to be placed in a group home, but the province is ready to receive them as a short-term solution. It has developed a draft policy due to be finalized in the coming months.
Infants would be placed in an area of the group home separate from older children, MacEwen said.
The province plans to hire temporary staff or reassign staff specifically to care for babies.
The intention would be to find a placement with a foster family as soon as possible.
'Desperate' situation
"Can you imagine that there isn't a home for a child that is just coming from the hospital, just been born, and there's no place for them to go?" asked Wayne MacFarlane, president of the P.E.I. Federation of Foster Families, calling the situation "desperate."
Young children in foster care need to develop attachment, which can be difficult in a group home setting, he adds.
"They're going to do their best, but it's just not the same as having a nurturing foster parent there that's going to be up in the middle of the night," said MacFarlane.
"And it's going to be the same person, the same mom, the same dad that's going to pick them up and look after them."
Fewer foster families
There were more than 100 foster parents in Prince Edward Island in 2008 — that dropped to just 60 families in 2016.
The province needs sign up double the number of families to meet demand, MacFarlane said.
"We've had siblings for example come into care that, not only do they not get to go into the same home, they don't even get to go in the same county because the homes aren't available," he said.
Families who foster are often stretched too thin, and feel pressure to take on more children, he noted.
"When they come to you and say, group home or here? That's when the foster parent steps up," MacFarlane explained.
"And that's probably one of the reasons why a child, an infant hasn't gone into a group home yet, is because the foster parents are stepping up."
Not just P.E.I.
MacFarlane noted other provinces across the country are encountering the same problem.
He believes fostering should be considered more of a profession than a volunteer service, in order to attract more young families.
"When you foster, it's not an income, it's almost like a stipend," said MacFarlane. "So there is no pension, there is no health care, there are no holidays."
Currently, 225 children are in care, down from more than 300 in 2006. That's due to better coordination between parents and social workers to prevent unsafe situations, said MacEwen.
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