Community proximity a priority in expanding foster care’s reach to Medicine Hat

“If they have cultural elders or family members, faith leaders — in order to keep them close to that, it is really important to keep kids close to home,” she said.

“I think that’s huge for them.”

Being the sole agency selected for the contract, CTHCS will recruit foster parents to support 50 new foster care beds.

Combined with their existing 26 beds in Calgary, the expansion brings the organization’s total capacity to 76 beds.

The contract allows it to provide support for families from Fort Macleod, south to the Canadian border, east to Medicine Hat and west to the BC border.

CTHC says children can develop their ability to thrive and maintain essential relationships with the proximity to their communities.

The organization says they are looking for families who will actively celebrate kids in their home, and support them.

They are looking for people who will connect with children’s biological family, and create a bond that allows for the kids to feel safe anywhere.

Hoogwerf said it’s very important for the foster kids to remain closely connected — whether that be to their schools, sports venues, or other people.

“When they have cultural supports and connections that they can easily access, we are ensuring we’re paying attention to the whole child,” she said.

“Ensuring that spirit, that language, that culture, that traditional parenting is key,” she added.

“We have opportunity then to learn from and be guided by community and elders and knowledge keepers — who understand traditional parenting, who know their kids best.”

Hoogwerf said that fostering a child is a lifestyle, but the organization provides the consultation and mentorship to do so.

CTHCS offers 24/7 support to foster families, and adequate training using an evidence based trauma informed model prior to fostering, in order to provide foundational knowledge to families.

Hoogwerf said that foster parents need to be able to sustain their family, because foster care is not a job.

“We want to make that a supportive journey, where folks who are doing it know that they are never alone,” she said.

by Jayk Sterkenburg

Community proximity a priority in expanding foster care’s reach to Medicine Hat

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