FAQ

Possibly, yes. BCFPA has a three-tier structure — local associations, regional councils, and a provincial body — and local associations are made up of foster families in a particular community. If you live in an isolated community without one, it may be possible to start a local association.

Ask your resource social worker for help, or call BCFPA directly: in the Vancouver area, 604-660-7696; elsewhere in the province, toll-free 1-800-663-9999.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Yes. A separate Master Insurance Program — Aboriginal Program Certificate — is available for Aboriginal foster parents and for caregivers of Aboriginal children.

For details on how this certificate applies to your situation, contact the BCFFPA.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

For questions about either BCFFPA insurance programme, contact the BC Foster Parents Association toll-free province-wide at 1-800-663-9999, or in the Vancouver area at 604-660-7696. The BCFFPA website also has the current Master Insurance Policy wording, the Rider Insurance booklet, and a questions-and-answers document covering common situations.

If property damage occurs and the cost falls above the Rider deductible, a claim can be submitted through the Rider. It’s also a recommended step to let your resource social worker know whenever property damage happens.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Yes. All Family Care Homes must have household insurance as a condition of the agreement with the Ministry — it’s a compliance requirement, not optional. Keeping your own policy in place also matters because the BCFFPA Rider Insurance extends your existing coverage rather than replacing it, so the Rider only works if you have your own insurance behind it.

If you don’t currently have household insurance, speak with your resource social worker promptly.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Yes. BCFPA advocates for foster caregivers and will help you sort through a difficult situation — whether it’s a placement decision, access arrangements, concerns about a social worker, or a decision to close a home. You do not have to be a BCFPA member to ask for advocacy help.

Reach BCFPA through the Fosterline to talk it through. Your resource social worker can also help, and on Vancouver Island your CFS Area Coordinator is another route for support and referral.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Yes. BCFPA offers comprehensive dental and extended health plans to current members and their families. To purchase these plans you need a valid BCFPA membership, which is verified before the policy is delivered.

Note that life insurance, segregated funds, disability insurance, and critical illness insurance offered through other channels are separate and not tied to BCFPA membership. For details on the health and dental plans, contact BCFPA.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; 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

They’re two different lines for two different kinds of help. The Foster Parent Support Line is an MCFD-funded service for urgent, after-hours consultation — thinking through a difficult situation or a question about ministry policy that can’t wait. The BCFPA Fosterline at 1-800-663-9999 is run by the BC Foster Parents Association and is the one to use for membership and insurance questions, advocacy support, information about BCFPA programmes and member benefits, and general caregiver consultation when the Support Line isn’t open. The Fosterline runs 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday.

For an immediate safety emergency, neither of these is the right call — dial 911, and use the emergency and crisis contacts for after-hours ministry response.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

Alongside your own required household insurance, the BC Foster Parents Association (BCFFPA) administers two coverages for foster families at no cost to you. The first is automatic third-party liability coverage — every approved foster parent in the province is covered if someone claims against you for unintentional bodily injury or property damage arising from your caregiving, with no need to apply or pay.

The second is the Rider Insurance Programme, part of the Master Insurance Program. It supplements your own homeowner or tenant policy by mirroring its limits and covering damage and theft caused by a child or youth in care — losses a standard policy would usually exclude. Because it extends your existing policy rather than replacing it, you must keep your own household insurance in place for the Rider to work.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide

The BC Foster Parents Association — also known as the BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations (BCFFPA) — is the provincial association run by and for foster caregivers across British Columbia. The two names refer to the same organisation; both appear in ministry publications. It works closely with MCFD to build stronger partnerships between foster families and ministry staff.

BCFPA administers the Foster Parent Insurance Program for all approved caregivers, helps develop mandatory and pre-service training, publishes the FosterlineBC newsletter three times a year, advocates for caregivers provincially, and runs the Fosterline support line. Members and their families can also access comprehensive dental and extended health plans. You can learn more at bcfosterparents.ca.

Sources: Foster Family Handbook; Foster Caregiver Orientation Guide