150 St.

112 Ave.

111 Ave.

Foster Families in short supply during boom times

 

EDMONTON - Jane De Pauw and her husband are bucking a downward trend in the world of foster families.

 

The Sherwood Park couple took in a foster child last month, a girl who is now six weeks old.

 

De Pauw, who works full time at the University of Alberta, and her husband, who does part-time dog training , are among several hundred Edmon-ton-area families housing foster child-ren.

 

De Pauw’s family’s took in a foster child two years ago, a boy who is now five, whom they recently adopted.

 

The family sold their business, moved to a new home and took on new jobs to make life more comfortable for the children, adjustments De Pauw said were necessary.

 

“When you get into fostering, hopefully you make that commitment where you find a way to make it work,” she said Sunday.

 

Despite such gestures of kindness, there has been a sharp drop in the number of foster families.

 

There were about 850 families in Edmonton area last year, but the total dropped by 12 per cent to around 750 families this year.

 

While number of families has been sliding in the last five years, the past year’s decline was significant, said Trish Brady, president of the Edmonton and District Family Support Association.

 

Brady hopes National Foster Week, which began Sunday and will be highlighted today by speeches at the provincial legislature, will help turn those numbers around by getting the word out.

 

Children’s Services Minister Heather Forsyth is scheduled to be one of today’s speakers.

 

Brady cant explain the significant drop with certainty but said two factors that may be at play are that it’s now easier to adopt children than it was five years ago and there’s a shrinking pool of potential foster families.

 

Brady also pointed to the economic boom, saying the rising cost of living means both parents in many families are working.

 

The model doesn't fit the typical foster family mould, where one parent is able to stay at home with the child, she said.

 

Foster family groups used to encourage families to follow that guideline, but she said the time might have come for groups to accept that more foster parents will put their children into day care.

 

“I think we need to look at the way we do business, “she said.

 

Anyone interested in information on fostering a child can call the recruitment line at 496-3546.

 

jkom@thejournal.canwest.com

 

 

1st Floor, 15001 - 112 Ave.

Edmonton, Alberta

T5M 2V6

 

(780) 496 - 3546

Adoption & Foster Care Recruitment Program (AFCRP)