Media Release
For Immediate Release
June 5, 2024
Available Foster Homes in Ontario Have Dropped by 33.6% Since 2020
OACAS Initiative Urgently Seeks Foster Caregivers Amidst Critical Shortage in the City of Brantford and counties of Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
Grand Erie Zone – Amidst a steady decline in foster care placement availability, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) releases the provincial ‘There to Care’ Campaign. With the need for foster caregivers now greater than ever, this initiative aims to underscore the vital role of foster caregivers, emphasizing their profound impact on children, youth families, and communities. By dispelling misconceptions and rallying community support, the campaign seeks to address the critical shortage of foster homes across Ontario.
Child welfare agencies, who are responsible for finding temporary homes for children and youth, when they cannot stay with their primary caregivers or with kin, are facing a crisis. With a staggering 33.6% decrease in available foster homes since 2020, the safety and well-being of children, youth, and families is at risk. The demand for these compassionate individuals and families has never been higher.
Foster caregivers go beyond providing temporary homes; they also provide essential support in maintaining connections with extended family and community members for children and youth, while they are in care. In Ontario, finding suitable placements that match the unique identities and needs of children and youth is paramount. Child welfare agencies strive to match foster caregivers based on their experience and the needs and identities, including the cultural background, of the children and youth. There is an urgent need for placements supporting sibling groups, older children and youth, infants, and those with complex needs.
Child and Family Services of Grand Erie (CFSGE) believes that child welfare is a shared responsibility with our community partners. We strive to work collaboratively with families and the community to offer a variety of support and services. We do our best to keep children within their own family systems, but when that is not possible, we need to look at foster caregivers. Foster caregivers provide a supportive home for children who cannot remain in their family home. They work as part of a team, care about children, and have a sense of community responsibility. They are compassionate individuals who are willing to learn about how to care for children who have experienced trauma. The goal is always for children and young people to be reunited with their families. At CFSGE we have an urgent need for foster caregivers for all ages of children birth to 18 years. Additionally, homes are specifically needed for diverse identities, cultures, and ethnicities. Also needed are affirming caregivers for children and youth who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. All family constellations are welcomed including couples and single caregivers with and without children. We do our very best to keep children in their communities close to their families, schools, and friends.
Join us in this critical effort to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for vulnerable children and youth. Your community needs you now more than ever. To learn more about how you can be there to care, please visit Open Your Home – Child and Family Services of Grand Erie (cfsge.ca)
About OACAS: The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) is a provincial membership organization representing 47 of Ontario’s 50 mandated children’s aid societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies, as well as 2 pre-mandated Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies. We support our members by providing practice tools, educational opportunities, and training, as well as communication and advocacy support to help achieve improved, equitable outcomes for children, youth, and families. Learn more at https://www.oacas.org
About children’s aid societies and Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agencies (child welfare agencies): Child welfare agencies have a legal mandate to keep children and youth safe from abuse and neglect. Their goal is to keep children and youth at home and in their communities by connecting families with culturally relevant resources, supports, and networks that strengthen their family unit. They are governed by the Child, Youth, and Family Services Act, 2017 and are regulated by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. To learn more, visit oacas.org/childrens-aid-child-protection/ or locate an agency at oacas.org/locate
Media Contact
Sarah Bomberry (she/her)
Executive Assistant and Communications Lead
519-753-8681 | 888-753-8681
sarah.bomberry@cfsge.ca
Child and Family Services of Grand Erie
70 Chatham St.
Brantford, ON N3T 5R7
cfsge.ca