Children and Family Development
“Mitchel always made me feel like I was here to stay,” says Sophia. At the age of 11, she moved in with Mitchel. Before that, Sophia had been in several different foster homes and needed the long-term stability, consistency and unconditional care that are so essential in everyday life.
For Mitchel, a single caregiver on Vancouver Island, it is these life-long connections that are so important to both foster children and their caregivers. “It really is about the extended family. It’s about the community, the social workers, the schools, the community centres and your neighbourhood.”
Working with all of these community services also means that Mitchel isn’t isolated and has the support that she needs to provide the best care for her foster children.
“What inspired me to go into fostering is my work that I’ve been doing with children and families in the community for many years,” says Mitchel.
She’s now been fostering for 10 years and uses her training and education as a child, youth and family counsellor to enrich her life as a foster parent. Sophia is one of the youth to benefit from these skills and care.
Her time with Mitchel gave her the confidence that she needed to explore being on her own. She has recently moved out of Mitchel’s home, but stayed in the neighbourhood and says, “I still see her all the time and we’re still very close.”
Despite her years of experience, Mitchel is still learning how she can best support her kids. Her greatest teachers are the children themselves. In her time as a foster parent, they have taught her a great deal about balancing care and expectations while offering children the space to be themselves.
She admits that being a caregiver isn’t always easy, but the opportunity to learn – about yourself and your community – and to see children and youth making their way as adults gives her the inspiration to continue opening her home and heart to them.
“Fostering takes a certain strength of heart. For me specifically, it's about open-heartedness. We have so many children in care who are needing positive, loving kind homes.”
Hear more about Mitchel’s story and stories from other foster caregivers throughout British Columbia at Fostering Connections: http://fosteringconnections.ca/
Quick Facts:
- Foster family homes are the primary placement resource for children in care in British Columbia.
- These homes support children and teens who are unable to live with their traditional family for reasons of abuse, neglect, emergency or tragedy.
- 61% of children in care in B.C. are Aboriginal. There is a need for more Aboriginal families willing to foster so that all children in care can maintain their cultural and community connections.
- Foster parents must be in good physical and mental health. They receive training and undergo background, criminal record and reference checks. On average, the approval process takes three months.
- Once the approval process is successfully completed, new foster parents sign an agreement outlining their responsibilities and complete the 53-hour B.C. Foster Care Education Program within two years.
Learn More:
- Fostering Connections: http://fosteringconnections.ca/
- B.C. Federation of Foster Parent Associations: www.bcfosterparents.ca/
- Indigenous Perspectives Society: http://ipsociety.ca/
