FAQ

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

MCFD policy requires that computers used by children and youth in care be kept in a central location, such as the kitchen or living room, rather than in a child’s bedroom. A shared, visible space makes it easier to be aware of what a child is doing online without checking on them intrusively.

As a prudent parent, you are expected to monitor computer use and be aware of the websites and content children access. This does not mean reading every message, but being a reasonably informed, attentive presence: keeping the computer in a common area, being available when children are online, knowing which platforms and games they use, having age-appropriate conversations about what they do online, and setting household expectations about screen time and account privacy.

Source: Foster Family Handbook

Children in care can be more vulnerable online than their peers, so online safety is worth taking seriously without restricting access entirely. The most useful conversations are ongoing and matter-of-fact rather than one-time warnings. Helpful topics include not sharing personal information with people they don’t know, recognising when online contact feels uncomfortable or pressuring and telling a trusted adult, understanding that people online are not always who they say they are, the permanence of images and messages shared online, and what to do if they encounter something upsetting.

If you are concerned that a child is engaging in risky online behaviour, is being contacted by unknown adults, or has accessed content that suggests exploitation or harm, talk to the child’s social worker. Document what you observed, including dates and what you saw, as part of your caregiver records.

Source: Foster Family Handbook