Changes Coming To Province’s Foster Care System
Wednesday, February 09, 2011 at 14:54
The Minister of Social Services says changes are being implemented to improve the quality of care in the province’s foster homes — in response to a recent inquest into the death of a three-year-old foster child.
June Draude says maintenance payments have been increased for foster homes in recent years, but are being considered again.
A week-long inquest into the toddler’s death showed a system that was overwhelmed with a lack of communication, lack of training for foster parents and needs for more stringent home checks.
The jury recommendations that Social Services plans on implementing include developing policy to increase home support for foster families.
Workers will also be permitted to take photographs of rooms in foster homes to better communicate needs for support.
As well, the government says it will provide additional staff training on how to accurately document observations and address potential issues of concern for a child’s safety and well-being.
Social Services will also introduce mandatory First Aid/CPR training for all foster parents in the province, with the first phase of implementation focused on homes caring for high medical needs children.