Alberta Foster Parent Association Melissa Gee, B.Ed., M.Ed., C.Ed.C

Foster and Kinship Care Presentation for the Ministerial Panel for Child Intervention June 15, 2017
Alberta Foster Parent Association Melissa Gee, B.Ed., M.Ed., C.Ed.C Assistant Executive Director ALIGN Association of Community Services Rhonda Barraclough, BSW, M.Ed., RSW Executive Director

AFPA & ALIGN Why together?
Difference between Authority and Contract Foster Care Learn to work together and work collaboratively to ensure all caregivers receive similar support and advocacy Accreditation - different training and licensing expectations Differences in support to families

Foster Care in Alberta History

Who are our Foster Caregivers?
Foster Care in Alberta Who are our Foster Caregivers?

Alberta Foster Parent Association
What is the Alberta Foster Parent Association (AFPA) Steering Committee to develop this non-profit Organization began in 1972, incorporated in 1974 First foster care provincial training conference in 1974 Staff of 7 full time employees, hundreds of volunteers Work collaboratively with Authority, Agency, DFNA and Ministry staff An organization that cares about: outcomes for infants, children, youth in care, and families mental well-being of foster and kinship caregivers

Alberta Foster Parent Association
What is the purpose of the AFPA? The AFPA provides: Support Training Advocacy Acknowledgement Collaboration & Liaison Regionally Provincially Nationally

Foster & Kinship Care Supports
AFPA Supports Basic Maintenance (Foster & Kinship) Skills Fee (Foster) Infant Costs Support Plans Relief & Respite Support Workers Training Foster: Orientation to Foster Care, Level 1, Level 2 Kinship: Orientation to Kinship Care Supplemental Training open to all caregivers Agency Training open to all caregivers Reimbursement of expenses (mileage, meals, childcare) Authority vs Agency

Foster & Kinship Care What is working well?
AFPA and Align are seen as important stakeholders Signs of Safety more positive and engaging for families Collaborative Service Delivery Agencies provide greater levels of direct support More youth from care graduating from High School More youth transitioning to adulthood more successfully

Foster & Kinship Care What is working well?
What is starting to happen and need more of: Foundations of Caregiver Support Family Finding Honouring Indigenous Children and Families Sharing and training of Child Intervention strategies with the caregiving communities Recognition Events for Caregivers

Foster & Kinship Care What are the worries?
Collaboration Role Awareness Respect of Caregivers Planning (cultural, case, and transition) Working with bio families DFNA Relationships

Collaboration Recommendations Clear role descriptions and expectations for caregivers and workers Approaching team meetings with a Caregiver Centered approach Full involvement of caregivers in planning from the beginning Transparent conversations with the whole team regarding expectations of building and maintaining connections for the child, including role assignment based on capacity

Complexity of Needs Complexity of the children and their families coming into care Breakdown of Foster and Kinship Placements Appropriate training and support for Foster and Kinship Caregivers Therapeutic Supports for Children/Youth in care

Complexity of Needs Recommendations Transparency of what happened to the child and potential needs Keep caregivers informed – (difficult in some situations with FOIP) Appropriate training and support following the training to ensure awareness and skills to effectively care for complex needs Immediate and sustained supports to meet the needs of the complex issues children are struggling with

Communication Information about the child coming into care Involvement in planning for the best interest of the child Staff turnover/leave

Communication Recommendations Transparency of what happened to the child and potential needs Keep caregivers informed regularly and in a timely manner– (difficult in some situations with FOIP) Ensure all caregivers have supports in place when they are without the direct support of a caseworker or support worker

Provincial Policy and Practice Inconsistency of practice aligned with policy across the province Inconsistency in expectations of licensing Rhonda to address this slide

Provincial Policy and Practice Recommendations Consistency in practice outcomes will decrease confusion for caregivers Rhonda

Recruitment of Caregivers Awareness of current direction of Child Intervention Awareness of expectations and potential needs of children

Recruitment of Caregivers Recommendations Recruitment messaging needs to be transparent and clear regarding what is required to become an effective caregiver in today’s child intervention system Intentional sharing of good news stories, what’s working well, what are we proud of A balance shift in the focus of the media in sharing stories from Children’s Services

Training of Caregivers Is training adequate to prepare caregivers for the needs of the children coming into their care? Training is currently primarily done in person Practice in child intervention is progressing at a pace that makes it more difficult for caregivers to adjust and become knowledgeable Appropriate, applicable Indigenous training Lack of support to implement what has been learned

Training of Caregivers Recommendations Collaborative development in training for caregivers by all stakeholders Online learning options, Webinars Better communication of training available Family friendly training Consistent, cultural experiences Consideration for Education Coaching support

Transitioning To adulthood Between caregiver homes Back to bio family Specialized services (ie. PDD)

Transitioning Recommendations Adopt a perspective that young people should be connected to their caregivers and need to stay there as they move into adulthood Ensure all healthy connections to past and present caregivers are maintained through various transitions Utilize programs like the Forever Network when no family or network is available Ensure all caregivers are aware of specialized services prior to age requirement Policy to Practice support and expectations need to improve to allow workers to support caregivers to provide this support to youth

Legal Implications Family Law Allegations and Investigations

Legal Implications Recommendations Amend legislation within the Family Law Act to involve Children’s Services Legal Aid Model of support for caregivers Therapeutic support program for caregivers going through an allegation or investigation

Complexity of the Child Intervention System Supports Planning and Case Development Family raising family within the Child Intervention System Training

Recommendations Transparency Caregivers’ rights, Child Intervention Policy Needs of the child Be willing to provide financial assistance and various supports required in order to maintain the viability of kinship homes Allow for some flexibility in a family systems care approach Involve caregivers in planning and case development from the beginning Ensure kinship caregivers are aware of training available and encourage them to take what is relevant to meeting the needs of the child in their care Review the legislation and regulations as it relates to the Family Law Act

Foster & Kinship Care in Alberta
Indigenous Children in Care and Planning Caregivers encouragement and participation Appropriate cultural planning and connections Training Respect for caregiver (more than one band, support to provide cultural teachings, scheduling, etc) Communication and commitment Identity

Indigenous Children in Care and Planning Recommendations Involvement of caregivers in cultural planning from the beginning Experiential and relevant training Support with making connections Realistic expectations acknowledgement/sharing of success cultural resource specialists Role clarity for achieving outcomes of cultural plans

In an ideal world …

Questions

Alberta Foster Parent Association Melissa Gee, B.Ed., M.Ed., C.Ed.C

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