How to become a foster parent in Montreal

Have you been thinking about raising a child but have given up on the process?

You are not alone, says Marie-Pierre Ulysse, Foster Care Manager at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres.

The center currently houses about 330, but says it needs 25 more families to volunteer to help hundreds of children in the youth welfare system.

“Children come to us every day,” Ulisse said. “Many babies are coming out of the hospital. I have many young children to take care of.'

Can I become a foster parent?

Due to the shortage, Ulisse is appealing to all potential foster families to step forward.

She explains that the process is long, but the organization takes prospective foster parents one step at a time.

The first step is simply to call the center.

“In general, we have a good volume of calls, so it's not too much where it's blocking,” he told CTV News. “(The agent's) job will be to call each of these people back and talk to that person.”

They assess a person's suitability for adoption, including whether they have enough space in their home to welcome a child.

This means a bedroom set aside for them.

“Sometimes people think that their own children can share with a foster child,” Ulisse explains. “We cannot accept this because our experience over the years has shown that there is power (struggle) even among children.”

Pupils may share a room with other pupils of the same gender.

Other criteria include residency on the island of Montreal, where Batshaw's mandate resides, and if the applicants are married, they must have been together for at least two years.

“One of the things about being a foster parent is that you have parental responsibilities for a child. One of them is taking them to school,” Ulisse explains. “When I had a family in Laval who had to take the kids to and from Verdun every morning, it didn't work.”

If everything goes well, the person will be invited to an information session where all the ins and outs of being a foster parent will be explained.

After that, the prospective parents will undergo a pre-assessment interview.

“They're going to ask you a few questions. We want to know, well, how would you deal with them under certain circumstances?” Ulysse tells CTV News. “You have a four-year-old who refuses to go to bed, how would you deal with that?”

According to him, the answers are a reflection of true character.

“We want to have strategies that work for our youth center. If you tell me, 'Oh, I'm going to give it a good shot,' that's not going to work,” Uilse said. “It shows us who people are, where they are.”

After that, a committee will meet to review the document.

If approved, Batshaw will request a list of documents, including references.

“The moment we receive their package, that package is really their registration form,” Ulisse explains. “So far we've been talking and researching, but once you fill out the package and return it to us, we'll know you're serious about this new project.”

Ulysses said that after a person or family goes through the screening process, they must decide which foster care they want to pursue.

What kind of upbringing is right for me?

For applicants who are not considered “close” to the child — as in, somewhat related, there are two options.

One of them is the combined banking option.

“This is a category that we have a lot of demand for,” Ulisse explains. “These are people who want to do a lifelong project with these kids, so the clients we match with those families are the kids who aren't technically going back home (to their birth parents).”

This is a category that can eventually lead to adoption, even if the waiting list is long.

And then there's something called “permanent parenting.”

“We have a great need for permanent foster families who are there when the child needs them,” Ulisse explains. “Generally, these children are returned home to their parents at some point. It could be a couple of days, a couple of months, a couple of years or forever; we never know. It depends.”

This category, according to Ulysses, requires more families because the turnover of children taken into care every day is very high.

Prospective parents are asked to choose which age groups they are willing to take into their homes: zero to five, six to 12 and 13 to 17.

Once this decision is made, the family is ready to welcome their first child or children.

The largest age group in need of placement is zero to five years old.

“We don't have any resources there,” Ulisse told CTV News. “I cannot leave the child without resources. So I'm going to call my house with three kids and ask if you can get him an extra crib. My baby is coming and I don't have the money for the baby. “

Although he admits the large numbers put a lot of pressure on foster families, Ulysses says the feedback is almost always positive.

“They see the difference in children's lives,” she explains. “When the child is ready to go home, it's a pleasure for them… Sometimes they have a farewell party for the child.”

He says Indigenous, Black and Latino children are currently overrepresented in the system.

“Our clients are very multicultural, and when we match children with foster homes, we try to match them with foster homes that are similar to their birth homes,” Ulisse tells CTV News. “I need as many foster homes as possible from all communities because these children are your children and they deserve protection just like all children.”

To find out more about Batshaw Youth and Family Centers or to book a patronage visit, click here.