Foster a Child

Foster care is the full-time, temporary care of a child in your home with the goal of the child returning to parental care. If this is not possible, extended family (kinship) or alternative permanent caregivers are immediately explored. Children in Foster Care are under the delegated care and supervision of the Government of Alberta.

Foster care and adoption both provide safe, loving homes for children, but they differ in purpose, duration, and legal responsibility. The chart below highlights the key differences to help you better understand each role.

Children in Foster Care range in age from newborn to 17 years and come from a variety of cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.

These children have been temporarily removed from their families due to significant risk factors they have been exposed to and are in need of a safe, nurturing and structured place to call home while their families work toward reunification. Many children in Foster Care have experienced trauma and often demonstrate behaviours and/or delays in developmental milestones that are indicative of abuse and neglect.

A Foster Parent’s role is to provide children needing Foster Care with a temporary, safe, and loving environment. They can experience stable, healthy family dynamics and learn positive life skills in this healthy environment. Examples of the Roles and Responsibilities are:

Some of the Roles and Responsibilities are (but not limited to):

• Taking care of the day-to-day needs of the child residing in your care, including the child’s physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs.
• Working as a team member with the child, the child’s parents and extended family, support networks, Closer to Home, the child’s Child Intervention Practitioner (Children’s Services), and all other professionals and natural supports as required.
• Supporting and facilitating appropriate contact between the family and the child.
• Assisting the child in understanding, maintaining and developing cultural identity and pride by supporting involvement with their family and/or child-specific cultural events.
• Balancing inviting the child to be part of your family while respecting and promoting their connection to their family.
• Documenting and communicating with the Child Intervention Practitioner, Closer to Home, and the child’s family.
• Participating in planning meetings for the child’s ongoing care with a focus on reunification with parents, relatives or a cultural community member.

• Caring about the well-being of children, youth and families.
• Being able to meet the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of children and youth.
• Being open to learning and working with a team.

• Marital status
• Parenting experience
• Family composition
• Homeownership
• Ethnicity
• Religious affiliation
• Sexual gender diversity
• Education level
• Age

• Meet all requirements to be a licensed Foster Parent.
• Have a home that meets all legislated licensing requirements
• Be physically, emotionally and financially stable (while Foster Parents receive a per diem rate per child in their home, they must be financially stable and living within their current means without counting on Foster Care per diems as part of their regular income).
• All family members must be committed to fostering.
• All adults living in the home must complete a Criminal Record Check, including a Vulnerable Sector Search and Child Intervention Record Check.

The Criminal and Intervention Records Check is done online and can be accessed at https://www.calgary.ca/cps/public-services/police-information-checks-cost-and-payment.html. There is no fee for this, and a Foster Care Coordinator will help complete and submit it.

Closer to Home walks alongside Foster Parents throughout the entire foster journey, from first inquiry through placement and beyond, offering comprehensive pre-service training (including PRIDE), 24/7 on-call support, and ongoing guidance from dedicated staff.

Foster Parents have access to a Foster Parent Support Group that meets every other month, along with collaborative placement matching, regular check-ins, and trauma-informed and specialized supports as needed. 

Foster Parents are valued as part of the Closer to Home team and community; we are partners in care. Foster Parents are always included in communication and encouraged to participate in agency events, learning opportunities, and community gatherings. Foster Parents are also connected to Closer to Home programs offered through the North Central Family Resource Network and Ee-Des-Spoom-Ooh-Soop, and receive financial support through a non-taxable per diem and approved reimbursements.

Caregivers receive a non-taxable daily per diem for each child in their care. This per diem ranges from $50 to $57 per day, based on years of service, experience, and training. It is intended to cover routine caregiving expenses such as food, clothing, allowances, and daily transportation.

Children and Family Services also provide each child with an annual recreation and vacation fund, as well as specialized funding to support placements and the unique or individual needs of each child. This may include respite care, diapers, baby formula, and other approved supports.

During the onboarding process, foster parents may incur some upfront or one-time expenses related to Health and Safety requirements. These can include items such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, medication lockboxes, or minor home safety modifications required to meet licensing standards.

Foster homes are licensed for up to two children per home.

Short answer, yes! During the application process, a Home Study will be completed. This will help assess strengths and the best-suited age range and needs of children for their home. Foster Parents state the age range and gender they feel best suits them. Often, this is based on the age and gender of their children, as well as the foster family’s lifestyle. Before a child is placed in your home, we will tell you everything we know about the child. At that point, you decide if the placement fits you. The final decision always rests with you.

• CPR and First Aid certification is a requirement. Closer to Home does not provide this training.
• Completion of the PRIDE Foundations for Caregiver Support. This is a 10-session e-learning course and is a mandatory requirement from Children’s Services.
• Teaching Family Model Pre-Service Training through Closer to Home.

**Further training may be required based on the age range of children placed in the home.

Yes. Many Foster Parents have full-time employment.

Yes. The primary caregiver must have a valid Alberta license and access to a registered vehicle with 2 million dollars of liability insurance to transport children to medical appointments, specialists, school, therapy, and family visits.

The foster parent onboarding, screening, and assessment process typically takes 3 to 6 months, depending on the completion of requirements and individual circumstances. The process generally includes the following steps:

Closer to Home will walk alongside you throughout the entire process, providing guidance, support, and clear communication from your first inquiry through approval and placement readiness.

Please complete the pre-screening application. A Foster Care Coordinator will review your application and contact you to discuss becoming a Foster Parent!

For any additional questions, please contact fostercare@closertohome.com