Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
A $23.6 million investment will help support foster caregivers and improve stability for young people in care, says Children and Family Services Minister Searle Turton.听
Turton was recently in Jasper attending the Alberta Foster and Kinship Association鈥檚 annual conference and awards banquet at the Forest Park Hotel on Saturday.听
鈥淓ntering adulthood is challenging enough without having to navigate it alone,鈥� Turton said in a statement.
鈥淭he connection, guidance and mentorship foster parents provide is crucial for those aging out of care, and the actions our government is taking will ensure young adults have consistent support from people who know and care about them.鈥�
This funding will go towards three initiatives.
Starting Nov. 30, the province will begin paying the daily skill fee or special rates to foster caregivers caring for Transition to Adulthood Program participants who are 18 years or older.
The $16.7-million initiative will help foster caregivers maintain ongoing relationships with young people entering adulthood.
In addition, $6.5 million over four years is being dedicated to cover the cost of five hours of counselling per year for each licensed foster home in Alberta.
The final initiative is the Refer-a-Foster Caregiver program where current foster caregivers will receive $500 for each referral to an individual, couple or family that becomes licensed to provide a foster home.
This program is getting $450,000 over four years and is expected to provide more licensed foster homes in Alberta.
鈥淚 know from some of the conversations I鈥檝e had [that these initiatives] were very well received, and it shows our continued investment into these incredible parents that are opening up their hearts and families for kids,鈥� Turton told the 51暗网.
In 2021-22, 4,366 children were placed in foster care.
Turton said he had received questions during the conference about his government鈥檚 vision for foster care and noted how it was a key part of his mandate to reduce the number of moves for foster children.
He also met with Mayor Richard Ireland, municipal councillors and West Yellowhead MLA Martin Long, and he visited Wildflowers Childcare.
鈥淓very spot that we can open up for a child means that a mum or dad has the option to be able to go back to work,鈥� Turton said.
鈥淎nd with labor shortages across so many sectors right across the province, this is becoming a vital piece of strategic infrastructure that we need to be able to invest in so our kids are looked after and at least gives mums and dads the option and the choice if they wanted to enter the workforce again.鈥�
Earlier in October, the governments of Alberta and Canada announced that $28 million was being allocated to support private operators with some of the costs associated with opening new child-care spaces.
This expansion is expected to create up to 22,500 affordable child-care spaces.
