Application & Approval Process

Take the step to become a foster parent! Find out whether fostering is right for you and your family. We continue to need, look for, and invite foster parents from all communities to ensure diverse, inclusive, and responsive services for children and youth.

Application and Approval Process

The fostering application process takes time. Following your initial inquiry by phone, in person or email, you will be provided with an application package. Once the application documents are returned, and the required checks are completed, applicants will be invited to complete a mandatory pre-service training:

Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE): This mandatory provincial 27-hour training program is taken by all prospective foster parents in Ontario.

Following PRIDE training, a home study will be completed:

Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE): This home study is a comprehensive assessment to determine your eligibility, suitability, and readiness to become a foster parent.

Once the home study is approved, orientation by the Resource Team follows and a Resource Worker is assigned to work with your family.

Assessing Foster Parents

All prospective foster parents will provide the following:

Police Vulnerable Sector background and child welfare checks for all adults living in your home
References from people who know you
Medical exam and reference from your doctor for everyone living in your home
Proof of ability to provide a safe, supportive, and secure living environment for children, including stable family income

There are also several training requirements as part of the onboarding process:

Standard First Aid, including infant and child CPR
Training on First Nations, Inuit, and/or Metis cultural competency (exceptions for First Nations, Inuk or Metis persons)
Trauma Informed Care: Supporting Children and Youth, as self-paced eLearning course
Kujali: Caring for Black Children – A Training on Cultural Humility for Foster Parents (Upcoming)
CPI Training (Non-violent Crisis Intervention)

Foster Parent Inquiry Form

In you are interested in fostering or becoming a foster to permanency home and would like to ask questions or learn more, please let us know how we can best reach you by filling in your contact information below.