FAQ

Possibly. Shelter support is available to caregivers in communities identified each year — using CMHC rental data — as having well-above-average accommodation costs. It’s meant to ensure high housing costs don’t force you to move or to decline placements. It’s assessed after a review of your current payments, and it’s paid to you, not to your landlord. If you think your community might qualify, speak with your resource social worker, who can confirm and help with the assessment.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

For both day care and shelter exceptional payments, start with your resource social worker. They document the request, assess it against the standards for exceptional payments, and forward it to the director for a decision. All exceptional payments require manager approval, and they’re approved case by case rather than automatically.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Under-Deductible Losses (UDL) is a programme that covers eligible repairs and losses under $10,000 caused by a child or youth in care — the smaller claims that fall below the Rider Insurance deductible. It’s administered through Coast Claims Insurance Services and has applied to all MCFD- and ICFSA-contracted foster caregivers in BC since April 2022. Before UDL, these smaller claims had to go directly to MCFD or your ICFSA; UDL is the low-barrier alternative.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Approved Safe Babies caregivers get a pre-placement consultation with the Regional Programme Coordinator before an infant is placed, ongoing telephone consultation on any concern that comes up, regular up-to-date information on prenatal substance exposure, and regional training sessions for Safe Babies caregivers and the social workers who work with them. The Programme Coordinator is your primary contact for any question about the specific infant in your care.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Safe Babies training is four intensive modules covering the impact of substance use during pregnancy, the effects of alcohol and other drugs on the body, acute withdrawal in the newborn, neuro-developmental support of the substance-exposed infant, related health issues, partnership with birth families, and care for the caregiver. The aim is for you to finish with both the practical skills and the self-care awareness needed to care for these infants well.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

It’s automatic. When your resource worker approves you as a foster caregiver, your name, address, and phone number are sent to the CFS office and you’re added to the database — and you’ll start receiving The Island Connection newsletter. You don’t need to register separately or take any extra steps; your approval as a caregiver is what connects you to CFS.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

No. CFS services are free to foster caregivers — there’s no charge to access your Area Coordinator, peer support groups, mentoring, workshops, or the caregiving resource library.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

CFS offers a range of supports, all starting with your local Area Coordinator: peer support groups, one-to-one peer mentoring, ongoing training and workshops, an online learning platform (the Caregiver Learning Network), help navigating MCFD processes, advocacy and policy updates, social and community events, and the Investigation and Resolution Support Team for caregivers involved in a protocol investigation. Your coordinator can answer questions directly or connect you to any of these.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Your local Area Coordinator is the starting point for everything CFS offers. A coordinator can answer questions directly, refer you into a peer support group, arrange a mentor match, register you for a workshop, or help you understand what to expect from an MCFD process. Coordinators serve specific areas across Vancouver Island — Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni, Comox Valley, Campbell River, and the North Island.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Yes. The Caregiver Learning Network is an online platform for foster caregivers at learn.fpsss.com, with on-demand training resources and educational materials you can work through at your own pace, independently of scheduled workshops.

Source: Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide