The Saskatchewan Foster Families Association (SFFA) is launching a public awareness campaign in Estevan, Weyburn and the surrounding areas to encourage individuals and families to consider fostering vulnerable infants and young children.
According to the SFFA, the need for foster homes for Saskatchewan children remains very high, especially in certain areas of the province.
The Foster New Beginnings campaign has been successful at recruiting new families with advertising and outreach to local organizations and groups.
“The initial campaigns over the last two years targeted areas of Saskatchewan with the greatest need of foster homes, and as a result we have increased the number of foster families in those areas and across the entire province,” said SFFA executive director Deb Davies.
“However, there are babies and children in communities across the south that also need a safe and loving home.”
There are currently eight foster families in the Estevan area, and eight more in the Weyburn area.
“When families do require support of a foster family, or from the Ministry of Social Services, we want to be able to respond in two ways,” said Davies. “We want to be able to respond if children require out of home care, or if they need extra supports put in place to keep their children at home.”
Serving as a foster family allows people to give back to communities and help families.
“We have a responsibility as a community to support children and families,” she said.
The first step is to call the SFFA office or visit the organization’s website, and look at the information that is there. Those who have questions can contact recruitment specialists, who can walk people through the process and answer any questions that people might have regarding fostering.
It takes about six months to become a foster family after approaching the SFFA.
“Once you go through the recruitment step, you would then be passed on to the Ministry of Social Services for their interview process, plus participate in online training and in-classroom training,” she said.
Davies speaks from experience when it comes to foster parenting. She first became one 35 years ago when she was a young mother. And while she is no longer a foster parent, since she is the SFFA executive director, she still sees a need.
“It was something I was always interested in, working with young people, and I had children of my own and at the time staying home, and I thought what a better way to give back to the community,” she said.
Serving as a foster family is probably one of the hardest jobs someone will do, she said, but it’s also one of the most rewarding.
SFFA is a community-based organization that provides support for prospective and approved foster parents across Saskatchewan. They jointly deliver training with the Ministry of Social Services through a globally recognized program to support foster families to provide a home environment that is safe, caring and respectful.
