For the first time, the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS) is joining hands with six other Children’s Aid Societies and Indigenous Well-Being Agencies across the Greater Toronto Area in a unified appeal for new foster caregivers.

This partnership builds on the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies’ (OACAS) “There to Care” campaign. Together, CCAS, the Children’s Aid Society’s of Toronto, Durham, Peel and York Regions, Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services and Jewish Family and Child Service aim to inspire individuals to provide temporary homes and support for children and youth.

“So, we have a fostering community that is currently retiring as well as transitioning and moving on from fostering,” said Lisa Bishop, director resource services with CCAS. 

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This challenge is impacting the entire sector as agencies across the GTA grapple with finding replacements for the aging demographic of foster caregivers.

According to the OACAS, there has been a 33.6-per-cent decrease in available foster homes since 2020. This puts an estimated 61,104 children at the risk of losing their support systems.

Bishop highlighted several misconceptions that deter potential foster parents, like the assumption that the children need to be in two-parent households or that owning a house is a prerequisite for becoming a foster caregiver. 

Inflation, however, has emerged as a major obstacle, as financial constraints have pushed many potential caregivers to move outside the GTA. Bishop mentioned that this has proved challenging as the organization is committed to keeping children within their communities.

Sandra Davis, a longtime foster caregiver, believes that many prospective foster parents feel daunted by the thought of balancing their daily lives while providing the love and support these children need.

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“How I’ve overcome it is, I have built a village. You cannot do this on your own. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a city to be a foster parent,” she said.

While there are rules on who can look after the children, Davis mentioned that she was fortunate enough to have neighbours who helped her manage chores around the house which, in turn, allowed her to be more present and mindful in her journey as a foster parent.

She emphasized the importance of not only building a supportive community but also actively becoming part of a foster parent's "village" to help them succeed.

The shrinking demographic of dedicated caregivers like Davis has raised the alarm bells across the sector. Bishop mentioned that, in the light of the emergency, it only made sense for the organizations to band together to collaborate more effectively.

As a Catholic agency, CCAS is also striving to work closely with parishes and pastoral consultants to ensure that Catholic values and belief systems are fostered in children.

“To circle back to out parishes, to see if our parishioners open their hearts to take on the greatest joy of becoming a foster parent,” Bishop said.

She stated that this call to action not only addresses the urgent need for foster caregivers but also paves the way for potential future collaborations between agencies.

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Bishop urged individuals, even those who are uncertain, to take the initiative to inquire and see if they’re the right fit.

“Nothing prevents you from picking up the phone and inquiring on what it would be like,” she said. “So, just call.”