Becoming a foster family

Day after day, foster families and housing resources in Québec use the verbs help, support, give and love in the present tense.

Gradually, they get to see the children and adults they host learn to use the verbs grow, flourish, trust and love in the future tense.

To learn more, consult the leaflet Démarre le chargement du fichierBecoming a foster family 0-17 years old (in French)

Témoignage d'une famille d'accueil de Sept-Îles

/typo3conf/l10n/fr/rtehtmlarea/Resources/Private/Language/fr.locallang_accessibilityicons.xlf:external_link_new_window_altTextVidéo réalisée par Les Productions Bokeh35

A child needs you

  • They are aged between 0 and 17 years old.
  • Their parents are temporarily or permanently unable to care for them in a safe and consistent way.
  • They may or may not have behaviour disorders, academic delays or others because of the difficulties they have gone through.
  • They may or may not have received one or more diagnoses, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder (with or without hyperactivity), attachment disorder or other.

Commitment and criteria for foster families

Being a foster family is:

  • Opening your heart to children
  • A rewarding experience
  • A social commitment and a demanding challenge
  • A way of life
  • A family experience

A foster family must:

  • Offer a warm welcome;
  • Show good judgment, integrity, altruism, tolerance, flexibility and availability;
  • Be able to manage and control its emotions and stress;
  • Have strong parenting skills;
  • Have an open mind toward the child's natural parent, as specified;
  • Believe in the physical and intellectual potential of the developing child;
  • Have the desire to improve its knowledge by taking part in training sessions.

Whether you live alone, in couple or in family, if you want to become a foster family, you must at least:

  • Be of legal age;
  • Have the physical space to welcome a child and have a living environment that meets certain safety, hygiene and comfort standards;
  • Prove you have no criminal record;
  • Be ready to work in collaboration with professionals and with the natural family of the child entrusted to you.

Welcoming a child in need in your life is a gesture and commitment that comes from the heart. Foster families play a key role for the children who are entrusted to them. What if your heartfelt gesture changed their life...

Fédération des familles d'accueil et ressources intermédiaires du Québec

When you become a foster family, you are represented by the Fédération des familles d'accueil et ressources intermédiaires du Québec (FFARIQ). To learn more: /typo3conf/l10n/fr/rtehtmlarea/Resources/Private/Language/fr.locallang_accessibilityicons.xlf:external_link_new_window_altTexthttp://ffariq.org/en.

Steps to become a foster family

You have to contact the Director of youth protection for the North Shore region to express your desire to become a foster family by calling 1 800 463-8547. An intervenor will contact you to answer your questions and will send you a form to officially submit your application.

You can also complete the form below and a professional will contact you directly.

Intérêt à devenir famille d'accueil

Intérêt à devenir famille d'accueil

Frequently asked questions

Even though being a foster family requires giving time to a child or a teenager, this availability is the same as the one you give or would give to your own child.

Thus, it all depends on the age of the foster child. A baby will obviously require more availability.

However, if you welcome a school-age child or a teenager, you and your spouse can absolutely keep your job, as long as you can fully assume your role as a foster family.

No, you can welcome one or more children or teenagers, depending on your wishes and your capabilities.

They are aged between 0 and 17 years old and need a temporary family to care for them, to listen to them, to support them, to reassure them and to love them.

They are followed by a psychosocial worker in accordance with the Youth Protection Act or the Youth Criminal Justice Act. They have experienced difficulties in their family environment.

Sometimes, their parents recognize that they are unable to meet their needs and accept the fact that their child or teenager is entrusted to a family who will care for them. Sometimes, it is the social worker who recommends to the court that the child or teenager be removed from their family environment to be entrusted to another family.

  • You will be supported and accompanied to make sure that this experience is positive for you.
  • You will be assisted by a professional regarding the services to provide to the foster child or teenager.
  • You will have access to advice from a qualified professional during the integration of the child or teenager in your environment.
  • You will have regular meetings with the social worker, who will give you concrete methods to better know and help the child or teenager entrusted to you.
  • You will be supported during the meetings between the child or teenager and their natural family.
  • You will receive training via an annual programming offered to all foster families on the territory.
  • You will receive reading material to help you better define the problems of the child or teenager entrusted to you.
  • You will have access to a financial assistance to cover the costs of each child or teenager entrusted to you. This assistance is established by the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.

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