Hollyhawk Treatment Foster Care

Frequently Asked Questions

What is foster care?

Foster Parents and their families provide a stable and supportive home environment for children who are in need of a safe, temporary place to live. Some families cannot provide long term care for their children. Some parents cannot adequately care for their children and some homes are not safe for children to return to.

Many children come into the care of a Children's Aid Society on temporary basis and are able to return home to their family once the stress at home has been alleviated. But some children must remain in care for longer, some permanently. These children and youth need permanent foster care or an adoption placement.

Who are foster children?

Children and youth may be in care for a variety of reasons. They have been harmed, or may have been at risk of harm; or their natural parents or guardians may not be able to care for them.

Foster children range in age from infancy to age 18, and come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The kind of harm a child may have experienced may include sexual, physical or emotional abuse, abandonment or chronic neglect. Many have had few role models and little encouragement to succeed.

In most cases, these young people have been betrayed by adults. They are sometimes unwilling or unable to trust adults, for fear of more rejection. Some children and youth in care have taken on parenting responsibilities for their brothers and sisters. Many have experienced an unhappy childhood. Some have had no childhood at all.

Are foster parents paid, or supported in other ways?

Foster parents are supported in a variety of ways. They are paid a daily per diem per foster child or youth in the home. The inclusive per diem covers all clothing, school and recreation related costs. Medical and dental needs are covered by the placing agency.

Other supports available are initial and ongoing training opportunities, regular clinical support from our Foster Care Support Workers, access to therapeutic services that the child may need., after hours support and peer support and networking.

What are the rewards of becoming a foster family?

Foster families can expect many rewards:

  • a sense of accomplishment
  • the chance to help children feel good about themselves
  • pride in doing a meaningful and important job
  • challenging experiences
  • the opportunity to meet and work with new people
  • a chance to use special talents and knowledge
  • the opportunity to make a lifetime of difference in a short time