FAQ

Never place a rear-facing child seat in a vehicle seat equipped with an air bag. If an air bag inflates while a rear-facing seat is in position, it can cause serious injury or death.

If you drive a pickup truck and a child must be transported in the front seat, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and make sure the air bags are disengaged. In general, the back seat is the safest position for children, so use the front only when there is no alternative.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

You screen and choose your own child minder, and you can ask your resource social worker or the child’s social worker for guidance, but the selection is yours. Before leaving a child with a minder, confirm the person has child minding experience suited to the child’s age and needs, knows the child and any special needs, knows positive child care and behaviour management strategies and agrees not to use physical punishment or any prohibited discipline, knows what to do in an emergency or injury, is at least 14 years of age, will be present and in charge for the whole period, and has the maturity, knowledge, skill, and ability to meet the child’s needs and follow their routines. It is preferable, though not required, that the minder has completed an approved child minding course and basic first aid.

Wherever possible, use licensed child care services, since Criminal Record Checks are already completed for licensed providers, which simplifies screening. It also helps to identify proposed minders and relief care providers during your home study so they can be screened at the same time.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Hiring a child minder does not transfer your caregiving responsibility. You remain accountable for the child’s care even while you are away, so always leave the minder with a phone number where you can be reached. When children return from any minding arrangement, follow up with them about how it went and whether they felt safe and comfortable; this check-in is part of your role as a prudent parent.

On cost, the family care payment includes an amount to cover child minding, so this expense does not come out of your own pocket. Note that this covers short-term, occasional care like a babysitter while you are briefly away; overnight or multi-day relief care has different requirements.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

The Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) is an independent officer of the BC Legislature who supports children, youth, and families dealing with the child welfare system and advocates for changes to the system itself. The office can advocate for a child whose needs are not being met, review critical injuries and deaths of children in care, conduct systemic reviews, and provide information about rights and services. You can reach the RCY at 1-800-476-3933 or rcybc.ca.

It makes sense to involve the RCY when you are concerned that a child in your care has a need or issue that is not being adequately addressed within the system. Children in care also have the right to privacy when speaking with the Representative, to be told the office exists, and to be helped to contact it. Part of your role as a caregiver is making sure the child knows about the Representative and how to get in touch; the child’s social worker shares that responsibility, and you can also contact the office on the child’s behalf.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

The Ombudsperson of BC reviews questions of administrative fairness: whether a decision was made fairly, whether proper procedures were followed, and whether you or a child in your care were treated with the consideration you were entitled to. The office is not an advocate; it conducts impartial, confidential investigations into whether a public agency such as MCFD has been fair to the people it serves. You can reach the office at ombudsman.bc.ca.

The Ombudsperson usually comes into play after you have gone through MCFD’s internal dispute resolution process and disagree with the outcome, or when you believe a ministry decision was made unfairly or without proper process and want an independent review. The Ombudsperson does not replace the ministry’s decision-making authority, but its reviews can lead to recommendations and changes in how similar matters are handled. If you are unsure whether a situation warrants this step, your CFS Area Coordinator, your regional support agency, or BCFPA can help you think it through.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

The Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia (Children and Youth Services division) upholds the legal and financial rights of children under 19. Its role is separate from both MCFD and the Representative for Children and Youth. The office makes sure children have adequate legal representation when needed, and it holds and administers funds in trust for some children, for example when a child is entitled to insurance proceeds, an inheritance, or a settlement. You can find it at trustee.bc.ca.

Most foster caregivers encounter the Public Guardian only in specific circumstances, such as when a child in care has received a significant financial settlement or inheritance, and usually in consultation with the child’s social worker. If this comes up in your placement, work through it with the social worker rather than on your own.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

An Indigenous child in care holds all the rights that apply to every child in care under Section 70 of the CFCSA, plus two additional rights set out in Section 70(1.1): the right to receive guidance, encouragement, and support to learn about and practise their Indigenous traditions, customs, and languages, and the right to belong to their Indigenous communities.

These go beyond the general cultural heritage right that applies to all children in care. Rather than simply not interfering with a child’s cultural identity, Section 70(1.1) places an active obligation on you to support an Indigenous child’s cultural learning and their ongoing connection to their community.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Supporting these rights looks different for each child, depending on their Nation, their community, and their family situation; there is no single approach that fits all Indigenous children in care. What is consistent is the expectation that you seek out appropriate guidance rather than manage this alone. The child’s social worker and, where applicable, the relevant Indigenous Child and Family Service Agency (ICFSA) are your primary resources. They can help you understand what is appropriate for the child’s specific Nation and community, make the right connections, and ensure the child has access to cultural activities, language supports, and meaningful community ties.

If you are uncertain about how to support a child’s cultural rights, asking for help is not a failure; it is the appropriate and expected response. Your CFS Area Coordinator and the child’s social worker are your starting points for specific guidance.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Every family care home is formally reviewed once a year by the resource social worker, within 30 working days of the anniversary of your home’s approval, and it includes both a file review and an in-home visit. It is a collaborative process, not a one-directional inspection. It covers how the social worker–caregiver partnership is functioning, any significant changes regarding the child or children in your home, any significant changes in your home such as household composition, health, or employment, and the skills and knowledge where additional training or support would help, which feed into your caregiver learning plan.

The annual review is also your opportunity to raise what is and is not working for you and your family. It is meant to be a genuine two-way conversation, so it is a good moment to bring forward concerns, ask for support, and talk through anything that has changed.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

The child’s social worker makes regular visits to your home throughout the year to check on the child’s progress toward their Plan of Care goals and to monitor their safety and well-being. As part of this, the social worker is required to speak privately with the child at least every three months.

During these visits, all children in your home who are able to communicate are interviewed alone and apart from you, and children who cannot communicate must still be seen by the social worker. This is a standard part of the monitoring process, not a sign of concern about your care; speaking with the child privately is how the worker confirms the child is safe and doing well.

Source: Foster Family Handbook