Purpose of the Manual
This Manual provides the materials needed for the Department of Social Welfare and Foster Care Agency (where applicable) to conduct the following foster care related activities:
- Foster parent recruitment drives;
- Foster parent orientation sessions; and
- Foster parent training.
A. Foster Parent Recruitment
- Foster parent recruitment aims to identify and motivate people in the community to apply to be a foster parent.
- The goal of foster parent recruitment is to ensure that a sufficient number of licensed foster parents are available and ready at any time for temporary placement of children.
B. Foster Parent Orientation
The Foster Care Regulations require all eligible foster parents to participate in a standardised orientation session to ensure they understand exactly what they are committing to before they undergo the Home Study and other screening requirements for a final decision to be made on licensing them.
The purpose of the orientation session is to help eligible foster parents decide whether they are still interested in becoming foster parents and to undergo the process of determining their suitability and licensing. The orientation session also provides an opportunity for the Department to begin to assess the suitability of the eligible foster parent and decide whether or not to continue with the application process.
C. Foster Parent Training
1. The Foster Care Regulations, 2018, stipulate that foster parents approved by the Regional Foster Care Placement Committee must complete orientation and training before they can be licensed by the Foster Care Services Unit. A child can only be placed in the care of a licensed foster parent, which means that all foster parents must undergo training before they receive a child into their care.
2. The Foster Parent Training serves as the tool for the orientation and training required by foster parents before licensing. It is designed to equip foster parents with basic knowledge and skills to fulfill their roles and responsibilities as foster parents.
