How To

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How To

How to Become a Foster Caregiver

Opening your home to a child in need is one of the most impactful decisions you can make. Whether you’re interested in regular foster care, foster-adopt, relief/respite care, or emergency care, the process starts with a conversation. We will support you through every step along the way!

Step 1: Connect With Us

Reach out to our Foster Care Recruitment worker to learn more about the different types of fostering and ask questions. We’ll answer your questions and explain the requirements.
📞 Call us: 519-455-9000 x2777
📧 Email us: [email protected]
Attend an information session: Click Here

Please note that attending an information session is not a required step to apply to become a foster caregiver. It is an informal, commitment-free way to gather information and ask questions.

Step 2: Schedule an In-Home Inquiry Meeting

After connecting with us, the next step is to schedule an in-home inquiry meeting. During this visit, our Foster Care Recruitment worker will review the process and eligibility requirements with you, answer any questions, and provide you with the application package. This meeting is an important opportunity to learn more and decide if fostering is the right fit for your family.

Step 3: Submit the Application Package

If you’re ready to move forward, you’ll complete and return the application package provided during your in-home inquiry meeting. This package includes:
• Personal references
• Medical form for everyone residing in your home
• Criminal background checks for all adults in your household
• Child welfare checks to verify no concerning history of abuse or neglect
• Financial form to confirm household stability
These steps exist to ensure transparency and stability as part of the home study assessment. We are not looking for perfection as life experiences, including hardships, can often help foster caregivers to demonstrate empathy for the challenges children and birth families face. What matters most is that your life is presently in a secure and stable place, and that you have the flexibility and patience required to support children whose futures may be uncertain. Patience is particularly important because every child in foster care has a story, and many may struggle while they adjust to their newfound situation. This process helps us to determine suitability to foster and ensures children and youth receive the care they deserve from their foster caregivers.

Step 4: Participate in PRIDE Training

All foster caregivers complete PRIDE training, a program designed to help you understand and meet the unique needs of children and youth in foster care. Topics include trauma, loss, attachment challenges, and supporting family relationships, which give you the tools to provide stability and care.
PRIDE consists of 27 hours of learning, delivered as nine 3-hour online sessions over nine weeks. The sessions are self-paced, so you can log in at times that work best for you. PRIDE training does not expire.
In addition to PRIDE, you’ll complete a few shorter, practical training courses during the licensing process, such as car seat safety, fire safety, and infant care, to ensure you’re prepared for everyday caregiving needs. Foster caregivers are also required to complete First Aid/CPR Level C training, with all associated costs fully reimbursed.

Step 5: Home Study and Approval

The home study is a collaborative process that helps us get to know you and your family so we can ensure the best possible care for children and youth in foster care. It typically involves 3–6 in-home appointments, where we review your application documents, contact your personal references, and spend time learning about your life story, relationships, experiences with loss, and your plans for parenting in foster care.
We know this process can feel personal and requires you to be an “open book.” But every question has a purpose: to make sure fostering is the right fit and to best honour the needs of children in care. If you have a partner or children, we’ll include them in the conversations to understand your family dynamics and support systems. This process is not about perfection, but rather helping us to understand your strengths and readiness to foster.
Overall, the licensing process including mandatory trainings and the home study assessment take approximately 6-8 months to complete. The process is generally quicker for single applicants, and lengthiest for those with more individuals residing in their home. This gives you time to ask questions, prepare, and to feel confident in your role as a foster caregiver.

Step 6: Welcome a Child

Once you’re approved, you’ll be ready to provide care when a child needs a foster home -often under urgent circumstances. When a placement is needed, we share all the information we have at that time, such as family background, behaviors, interests, and medical needs, so you can make an informed decision about your ability to meet the child or youth’s needs.
We do this to ensure every child is placed with caregivers who feel confident and prepared to provide the best possible care. It’s important to know that we may not have a complete picture of the child’s story right away, and new needs can emerge as they adjust to foster care. Many of these needs arise from the stress and trauma of family separation, and attuned caregivers play a vital role in noticing and responding to those needs with patience and understanding.
As a foster caregiver, you will never be alone. We provide tax-free financial compensation to cover the child’s day-to-day needs, match you with a foster caregiver mentor, and offer dedicated Resource Worker support. You’ll also have access to ongoing training, 24 days of relief care annually if requested, caregiver support groups, and even a free YMCA pass for your family. These supports are here to help you succeed and feel confident in your role. Additionally, provided supports help ensure every child or youth in your care has the safe and enriching environment they deserve to thrive.

It won’t always be easy, but saying “yes” to fostering is one of the most meaningful commitments you can make – both for the child and for yourself.

Contact us today to start your journey.

Children's Aid Society

How To

How to Become a Foster Caregiver

Read our Foster Adopt overview. Read Real Stories.

Register for an upcoming monthly foster info session to learn more: Click Here