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“A child can’t focus on their day-to-day activities if they’re worrying about adult problems, like food insecurity, parent conflict, housing, or clothes”.
Lee-Ann Pettenuzzo, Child Welfare Supervisor Resource for Algoma Children’s Aid Society, has worked in the field for 32 years, and has seen the difference that a stable, loving foster home can make for a child. She has also seen foster families in the Algoma area dwindle since 2020. “We’re looking for all sorts of families. The kids in care need families to help support them.”
The families that the organization needs right now range from a single parent family, two parent families and/or a family where a parent or parents can stay at home with the children and be available to the child when needed; families who can offer respite care; and some families just to help with emergency care. Foster families can own their home, rent a home, live in an apartment, or, given the right circumstances, have the option to live in an agency-provided home.
Children who have recently entered Algoma Children’s Aid Society’s care may have “higher-support needs,” and have experienced deep loss, sometimes related to parental addiction issues that are tragically common in the Algoma area.
“We need people who understand or have a willingness to understand children’s needs and who are empathic, but not overwhelmed with the children’s circumstance,” says Lee-Ann.
When there aren’t enough foster homes, the organization sometimes must briefly house children in a hotel— far from the norm or the ideal situation. Lee-Ann says that in emergency situations, temporarily housing children in a hotel is happening across the province. It keeps them safe, but it’s not the stability that she and her colleagues want for the children of Algoma.
“These kids have such heavy burdens to carry. What we need people to do is to understand that and focus on stability, structure and communication. Helping them navigate some of those really big feelings in a very scary world,” Lee-Ann says.
For those who are considering becoming foster parents but might have reservations, Lee-Ann’s advice is for them to give Algoma Children’s Aid Society a call. The organization can introduce prospective parents to other foster families, helping them understand that although the experience will have challenges, it’s incredibly meaningful and rewarding. Many of their foster children have maintained lifelong relationships with their past foster parents.
There is a per diem for each foster placement to help with the cost of clothing, allowance, activities, mileage, and more. There is also all-encompassing support that goes far beyond finances. Lee-Ann’s team consists of eight workers who assess potential foster families and give them training. Once a family is approved, they’re assigned to a worker for their home who meets with them at a minimum monthly but generally more often through phone, email and text.
Algoma Children’s Aid Society wants to be able to reunite families whenever safe and possible. We also look for families for “kinship care” these are family members who might be able to have the child in their care and provide them a safe temporary place while their parent works on the adult issues. The Society is focusing on adding more homes in the Algoma area, to have more options to support our kids. Further, we currently need families to take infants, sibling groups, and teens, for short-term care, respite care, and longer-term care.
There’s a reason that Lee-Ann and other members of the Algoma Children’s Aid Society team have been doing this work for decades. Their goal is to do everything they can to support children so that they can learn to trust again and just be kids. When it comes to the struggles that these children’s families are dealing with, Lee-Ann emphasizes, “Nobody’s judging them. That’s not our role. Our role is to build resiliency in children and how we do that is to be accepting and confident and community-driven.”
“We don’t expect foster families to know everything about parenting or child development, but we do need people to have a willingness to open their hearts and homes and learn how to help children learn to trust.”
Contact Children’s Aid Society of Algoma at 705-949-0162 extension 236, or to learn more visit Algomacas.org or email resourcefamilies@algomacas.org to learn about the benefits of fostering a local child, and the resources available to help you along your caregiver journey.