You can begin your journey by contacting our Inquiry worker at [email protected] or 519-455-9000 x2777.
Register for an upcoming monthly foster info session to learn more: Click Here
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Click here to watch "Homes for Teens" (4:30 min.)
Make a Difference: Become a Foster Caregiver
Every child and youth deserve a safe and loving home. At the Children’s Aid Society of London & Middlesex, we rely on caring individuals and families to provide temporary and at times long-term care and support for children and youth who cannot live with their families. Foster caregivers play a vital role in helping children heal, grow, and thrive.
Whether you can open your home for a few days, a few months, or longer, there’s a foster care option that fits your lifestyle and capacity to help. Some caregivers choose to focus on one type of foster care, while others are open to supporting children through different streams based on their availability and comfort level. You can also indicate the age range, from infants to teens, that best fits your experience and family circumstances. This helps to ensure that each child and youth is placed with caregivers who are best suited to meet their unique needs and ensure placement stability.
Types of Foster Care Opportunities
1. Regular Foster Care
Regular foster care provides a safe, nurturing home for children and youth while their families work towards reunification or a permanent plan, such as kinship or placement with dually approved caregivers. Caregivers in this stream commit to supporting children for varying lengths of time – sometimes weeks, months, or years – until a permanency plan is in place. This role is essential for offering stability and emotional support during a time of transition.
2. Foster-Adopt (Dually Approved)
The dually approved model helps protect children and youth from multiple moves by placing them with families licensed to both foster and adopt. Caregivers begin as a foster caregiver, supporting access visits and reunification efforts, while also being prepared to provide permanency if adoption becomes the plan. By reducing placement changes, young people experience greater stability and healing through attachment. This approach shifts the risk from children to adults who are better equipped to manage uncertainty and loss.
Please note that our agency does not license caregivers for adoption only. All types of foster caregivers must be licensed and willing to foster first.
3. Relief/Respite Foster Care
Relief or respite caregivers provide short-term care for children in their own home while the child’s full-time foster caregivers take a break. When you offer care is based on your availability, but the minimum expectation is to be open to one child’s relief placement per month - whether for a weekend or a few days during the week. This flexible option ensures foster families receive support while children experience stability and continuity of care.
4. Emergency/Short-term Foster Care
Emergency foster caregivers provide immediate care for children and youth who need a safe place at very short notice - often overnight, on weekends, or during holidays. These placements always occur in your home, and the children often come with limited background information. Emergency foster caregivers provide care for as long as their availability allows – sometimes just overnight until staff can secure a longer-term placement, and other times for a week or more. Caregivers in this stream play a critical role in ensuring safety and comfort during urgent situations, offering stability when children need it most.
Why Foster?
• Make a lasting difference in a child’s life.
• Receive training, tax-free financial support, and 24/7 assistance.
• Join a community of caregivers who share your commitment to children.
Who Can Foster?
• Individuals or couples, with or without children
• Adults of any age and stage of life – stay-at-home caregivers, working people, and retirees
• Homeowners or renters
• People of all cultural and racial backgrounds, with a particular need for Black and First Nations families to provide care for children of similar backgrounds over-represented in foster care
• Individuals or couples within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community
• Those open to parenting children with additional needs, including prenatal exposure to substances as well as developmental and behavioural needs resulting from early life trauma
Ready to Learn More?
Your journey starts with a conversation. It won’t always be easy, but saying “yes” to fostering is one of the most meaningful commitments you can make – for a child and for yourself.
Contact us today:
📞 Phone: 519-455-9000 x2777
📧 Email: [email protected]
For those seeking other information, please visit Adoption Disclosure or How Do I Access My Personal Information?
Register for an upcoming monthly foster info session to learn more: Click Here