Pandemic strains local foster system, forcing some wards to be housed as far away as Ottawa

The Children's Aid Society is appealing to the public for more foster families. The pandemic has slowed down the process of recruiting, training and monitoring new foster parents.

CAS workers can't pay visits to prospective parents in person due to distancing requirements so doing things virtually is making the process cumbersome.

"The ability to do the thorough ...recruitment process and there is also in addition to a pretty stringent vetting process that requires a number of face to face visits.," said Lyle Ward, Director of Permanency and Children's Services. "There is also training that potential foster parents have to go through before they become a foster parent,"

Ward estimates they are "probably off 20 to 30 per cent with respect to our ability to recruit foster homes."

There's a pretty stringent vetting process that requires a number of face-to-face visits."- Lyle Ward, Director of Permanency and Children's Services

Ward said the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted a recruitment drive they were in the midst of. The CAS is trying to recruit 25 to 50  new families. Ward said they have had to disperse 35 to 42 children aged infant to 18 across the province - as far away as Ottawa.

Ward said the pandemic is also putting a strain on current foster parents, because the usual supports they rely on aren't there now.

"So if they were in a special education class that's no longer available," said Ward. "The relief that normally would take place with respect to going to school and those sort of things are no longer there or counselling services that would have been in person are no longer there. You know all of those services are attempting to be done virtually."

On the positive side, Ward said they actually have received 33 inquiries about foster care since the pandemic restrictions went into effect.

"That was more than we expected," said Ward, speculating that since many people are at home they have more time to think about being foster parents. 

"We like to think there's been some increased charitable kind of thinking or you know considering the needs of our community that sort of thing. So we've had some increase in some inquiries with respect to potential foster homes," said Ward.

Of the 33 inquiries, Ward said the CAS is currently processing 17 potential foster families. But he adds many more are needed.