In one week鈥檚 time, foster parents from all corners of the province will make their way to Jasper.
Each year, more than 300 parents and social workers visit the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre for an annual training conference and awards banquet, hosted by the Alberta Foster Parent Association.
鈥淔or the past number of years we have hosted our conference in Jasper as it is a place of beauty and of relaxation where foster families and social workers alike can attend our conference and awards night and head home refreshed and ready to care for and provide support to Alberta鈥檚 children and youth,鈥� said Katherine Jones, executive director of the association.
As well as revitalizing its participants, Jones said the event, which takes place Nov. 7鈥�10, also provides foster parents and social workers with opportunities to grow their knowledge so they can better address the various needs of the children placed in their care.
Those opportunities are available through training sessions鈥攊ncluding mental health first aid, Aboriginal teachings and behaviour management strategies for children and youth鈥攁nd through discussions with foster parents from across Alberta.
鈥淏eing a foster parent myself, I really enjoy talking to people from other areas to see what differences there are in other areas of the province,鈥� said Jones, noting that kids in foster care often have complex needs.
Foster care is intended as a short-term solution for a child whose birth family is unwilling or unable to assume full responsibility for the child.
Jones has been a foster parent for 25 years. During that time she and her husband have had 112 foster children pass through their home, some staying a short while and others staying for years.
In Jasper there is one licensed foster parent.
Although a small number, Jim Toner, foster care supervisor for Alberta Child and Family Services, said there鈥檚 no reason for alarm, as there isn鈥檛 a great need in Jasper.
There have, though, been occasions where high-needs kids need respite, and times when runaways have needed a place to lay their head until their parents arrive.
鈥淚n Jasper, what used to happen a lot was there would be kids that had been picked up because they had run away from home, whether it was from British Columbia or Alberta, and so we needed to have short-term emergent placement. That hasn鈥檛 come up a lot lately, but it does come up, especially in the summer.鈥�
With only one foster parent in Jasper, that leaves few options for children in need. If the parent is busy or out of town, the child would then be sent to Hinton or Edson.
Hinton has four foster parents and one foster-to-adopt family and Edson has about 10 foster families.
Toner said it鈥檚 not ideal to send kids out of their hometown or region.
鈥淲e want to have enough families to be able to meet the local needs,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o if there were families in Jasper that were interested we would love to talk to them.
鈥淭he people we are looking for are people who really like to make a difference in a child鈥檚 life. It doesn鈥檛 matter so much if they鈥檙e a single parent or a two parent family, or whether they have a PhD or they completed Grade 7鈥攊t鈥檚 people who are committed to parenting kids and really feel good about helping a child being successful.鈥�
To become a licensed foster parent or family, you first have to pass background checks and a home inspection, provide references and complete orientation training.
The training will prepare a parent to take care of a child, as well as help them decide who the perfect match would be for their family, for instance, whether it would be a baby or a teenager.
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, contact Margaret Lachance, foster and kinship care worker in Edson, at 780-723-8323.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
