FAQ

The monthly family care rate includes a spending allowance for the child, and how much you provide directly is up to you. It is worth discussing with the child how the money can be spent appropriately. Even a small allowance helps a younger child understand how money works, and for a youth approaching independence, practising real money management is an important life skill.

If a youth in your care has a part-time or full-time job, discuss with them and their social worker how much of their earnings should be saved and toward what goal. If a youth is not in school and not actively saving for a specific purpose, work out a plan together with the youth and their social worker for them to contribute to their own self-care costs, such as clothing and transportation.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Some children in care have inherited money or funds set aside in a trust. The Public Guardian and Trustee manages the estates and trusts of children permanently in care and is the child’s “property guardian” in law. After discussion with the child and you, the child’s social worker may ask the Public Guardian and Trustee to release trust funds for specific purposes, such as education or tuition, while the child is still under 19. Most trusts let young people take control of their own funds at 19 by writing to the Public Guardian and Trustee. Because trusts often give young adults more money than they are used to managing, help the youth plan ahead, well before the funds become available.

For identity documents, a social worker can request a birth certificate on the child’s behalf from the Vital Statistics division of the Ministry of Health, and these requests are prioritised when a child needs the certificate to register in a programme or obtain a proof of Indian status card. If a youth in your care does not have a copy of their birth certificate, raise it with the child’s social worker.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

For a driver’s licence, start with a discussion between you, the youth, and their social worker, aiming to agree that the youth is mature and stable enough to drive safely through the Graduated Licensing Program and is willing to take an approved driver’s education course. The parent or guardian must complete the Parent/Guardian Consent form; for youth in continuing custody, the director holds guardianship and consent flows through the social worker. Employed youth may be expected to help with the cost of the course.

For marriage, youth under 16 need a judge’s consent, and youth aged 16 to 18 need written consent from their parents or guardian. For youth in care by agreement or temporary custody, consent comes from their parents; for those under a continuing custody order, a director must consent. Marriage automatically ends CFCSA jurisdiction for a young person in care. For the armed forces, youth aged 18 may enlist without guardian consent, while those under 18 need guardian consent, which for youth in continuing custody means director authorisation. In each case, involve the youth’s social worker so any necessary authorisation can be arranged.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Caring for a child in your home is rewarding and demanding, and for children to live in healthy families you need to look after your own well-being as well as theirs. In practice, self-care means more than rest. It means being honest about your own and your family’s limits before you reach a crisis point, and making active use of the supports available to you. That includes formal supports like your resource social worker, training, and respite care, and informal supports like family, friends, and other foster parents in your community who can share information, strategies, and the load.

If you feel uncertain, need more information, or feel like you are struggling, reach out. You are part of a team, and working constructively with the child’s care team rather than carrying the weight alone is how experienced caregivers sustain this work. Talking to your resource social worker or your local foster parent association is not a sign of difficulty.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

The family care rate is designed to cover regular, predictable costs. It does not cover extraordinary or exceptional expenses, such as significant one-off medical costs, high-cost specialised equipment, or services beyond what a typical placement requires.

These situations are handled through supplementary supports and exceptional payment processes. Your resource social worker and the child’s social worker assess and authorise additional funds. If you find the regular rate is genuinely insufficient for a particular child, raise it with your resource social worker rather than absorbing the cost yourself.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Cheques for family care homes are normally issued by MCFD by the 15th of the month following the month of care. So if a child was in your care during August, payment for that period arrives around mid-September. Direct Deposit is the most reliable and efficient way to receive payments and removes the risk of lost or stolen cheques; your resource social worker can set it up.

If a cheque is lost or stolen, report it to your resource social worker promptly. To receive a replacement, you will need to complete a letter of undertaking, a legal declaration confirming the cheque is lost or stolen. This is a Ministry requirement before a replacement can be issued. Rates are updated from time to time, and you will be notified when they change; current rates are available from your local MCFD or DAA office or the MCFD website.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

On Vancouver Island, training and the foster education programme are organised through CFS. Call your Area Coordinator or the Regional Office to learn about upcoming workshops, discussion groups, or other training.

In other regions of British Columbia, contact the regional support agency directly. The agencies and their websites are: Hollyburn Family Services (hollyburn.ca) in the Coast Fraser region; Interior Community Services (interiorcommunityservices.bc.ca) for Kamloops and the Kootenays, and Okanagan Foster Parents Association (okfosterparents.ca) for the Okanagan, Similkameen, and Shuswap; Axis Family Resources (axis.bc.ca) in the North; and the Foster Parent Support Services Society (fpsss.com) on Vancouver Island.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

How much you decide about a child’s education depends on the child’s legal status and on what their Plan of Care specifies. When a child is in care by agreement with their parents, the parents may keep responsibility for most educational decisions. In other situations, much of that responsibility may rest with you.

Talk to the child’s social worker at the start of a placement to clarify which education decisions you can make on your own and which ones need the social worker’s involvement or parental consent.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Depending on the placement and Plan of Care, your responsibilities may include enrolling the child in school, supporting their learning goals and homework, signing report cards, attending parent-teacher meetings, encouraging extra-curricular activities without over-scheduling, and discussing any learning or social difficulties with the teacher or counsellor. Alert the child’s social worker to any school concern that cannot be resolved at the classroom level. School staff are often part of the broader team supporting the child, so getting to know them and keeping in touch matters.

When you tell a school that a child is in care, share only the minimum needed for staff to understand the situation and your role, not the details of why the child is in care or their family history. Children in care have a right to privacy, and their care history should not be shared beyond what is necessary.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

School supplies the school requires and fees for school activities are generally covered by the family care rate, the standard monthly payment for the child. In exceptional circumstances, a one-time grant may be available, so speak with the child’s social worker if you think a situation qualifies. Private tutoring may be funded by MCFD where there is a clear need or benefit, and in unusual cases the Ministry may authorise arrangements such as private school or correspondence schooling.

For youth aged 16 and older, funding may be available to support continued education or training at a university, college, or vocational school. For some Indigenous children, additional funding may come through their band or the federal government. If either applies to a child in your care, raise it with the child’s social worker.

Source: Foster Family Handbook