Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (FACSFLA) is in urgent need of foster parents for the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Areas.
An Information Open House is being held Wednesday, June 7, from 7 pm to 8 pm at the 817 Division Street office. To register online go to www.eventbrite.ca/e/foster-parents-needed-open- house-tickets-641298750827.
The number of children and youth needing foster care continues to increase in the FLA area. First, FACSFLA’s goal is to keep families together whenever possible. If that can’t happen, FACSFLA turns to extended family or someone with a relationship with the child or youth. When families and their networks cannot care for a child, foster parents play a crucial role in caring for and nurturing them until they can safely return home.
Children and youth in foster care can range in age from 0-18 and may have siblings. Like in the community, some children who need foster care have different abilities or accessibility needs. They come from all ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds and may identify as LGBTQ2S+.
“We are looking for foster parents to embrace and even reflect this diversity,” states Lindsay O’Hara, foster parent recruitment worker for FACSFLA.
Dedicated foster parents Sue and John Little add, “To our family, fostering is like a rainbow. Each member represents a different colour and each colour-like each member-brings its own unique beauty. When they come together-what, a beautiful sight they make.”
To thank the current foster parents, FACSFLA is hosting a
As an agency, FACSFLA acknowledges that racism, anti-black and anti-Indigenous racism, and social inequality negatively impact outcomes for children and youth. They are refocusing their work to see and serve every child in the context of their connections to family, culture, and community. The goal is to offer culturally appropriate placements to the children in the community who need out-of-home care. As such, they will be especially pleased to accept applications from individuals who identify as Black, First Nations, Inuit, or Metis due to the over- representation of Black and Indigenous children in the child welfare sector.