Fostering

Children may be placed into foster care for different reasons, including concerns regarding neglect and abuse within their family home, parental health issues and family conflict. When a concern regarding a child has been identified, child welfare agencies make every attempt to support the child within the family home, recognizing the strong bond between children and their families. Should remaining in the home not be deemed safe for the child, alternate living arrangements with family members or other kin are explored. If none can be identified a child may be admitted into the care of a child welfare agency. Foster care placements are often sought in these circumstances as socially appropriate, family homes are considered the optimal environments for growth and development.

Children in care come from very diverse backgrounds and have had a variety of life experiences. Children can enter care as infants and can remain until adulthood if deemed necessary by the courts. Child welfare agencies work tirelessly to provide children and youth a sense of permanency within kin or adoption placements however the need for foster care placements remains.

Foster families provide loving, safe environments to support a child’s needs. Foster parents play an important role within the child welfare system as they provide day-to-day care, including supervision, guidance and affection. Foster parents often come from diverse backgrounds themselves and the dynamics of each home differ. Foster parents can be single (including LGBTQQIP2S+), married or in common-law relationships and with or without children of their own. Foster families can specify the age and gender of the children that they feel best prepared to support.

There are many reasons why someone may choose to foster a child. Some may be skilled professionals already working in the field who feel they can make an even greater impact on a child by caring for them within their home. Others may have a personal connection to the foster care system and find themselves in a position to take this next step. All foster parents share one similar characteristic though- the desire to make a positive difference in the life of a child.

In Ontario, child welfare agencies operate foster homes, typically servicing children and youth who have limited trauma-related behaviours or are without special needs. Foster care agencies, such as White Rabbit, typically service children and youth whose needs and behaviours exceed the capacity of that which can be appropriately supported within child welfare agency operated foster homes. This type of fostering is what is largely referred to as Treatment Foster Care. Treatment Foster Care provides placement opportunities within supported family-based / parent model homes to youth whose complex needs require additional levels of support. Individuals with experience managing complex behaviours are the most suitable and successful in the role of a Treatment Foster Parent.

Motivated by their cherished experiences as foster parents, founders Bob Sherwood and Lillias de Lom recognized the importance of providing family-based, parent modelled treatment opportunities for children and youth with behavioural, emotional, psychological and social challenges. But more importantly, they recognized the crucial importance of providing caregivers with 24/7 live support from skilled agency staff who have direct hands-on experience with behaviour management.

White Rabbit is licensed by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and is reviewed on an annual basis to ensure compliance in following the legislation outlined within the Child, Youth and Families Services Act (current version November 2020- present). White Rabbit is also a member in good standing with O.R.C.A- The Ontario Residential Care Association.

White Rabbit’s programme is based on the experience that families, in most cases, offer a superior treatment setting to that provided by staff operated residential facilities. Our Therapeutic Foster Parents, through role modelling appropriate, tolerant, measured and corrective responses, increases the chance of the child successfully returning to the home of their family of origin (where this has been identified as an objective by the referring child welfare agency). The ultimate goal of White Rabbit’s programme is to provide the opportunity for youth in need to be cared for in a safe, supportive, skilled and stable environment in order for each child to realize their optimal potential and strengths to become a productive and appropriate member of society.

Referrals to White Rabbit can be made 24 hours a day by referring child welfare agencies and are reviewed by Executive levels of management prior to any child be considered for placement into one of our homes. White Rabbit strives to best match children and their needs to appropriate placements within our agency and request that all available information be forwarded prior to admission. All referral information is provided to the foster parent prior to placement within the home for review to ensure an appropriate match occurs. No child is placed within a White Rabbit foster home without the approval of the foster parents as we recognize the importance of caregivers feeling confident in their abilities to care of each child’s individual needs. During circumstances where further observation of a child’s needs and behaviours has been deemed warranted, placements at our Emergency Intake and Assessment home may occur. Pre-arranged visits prior to a child’s admission to one of our foster homes can be arranged (if possible) to further ensure a best match for placement occurs.

Each model of our treatment foster homes is assigned a Case Manager, who act as liaisons between the foster parents and other members of a child’s support team. Our Case Managers are experienced skilled professionals who work closely with both the children placed in our care as well as our Therapeutic Foster Parents in supporting a child’s overall day-to-day needs as well as crisis management. Our team of Case Managers and executive level of management strive to ensure each person within White Rabbit, regardless of role or status, feels a sense of safety, security and community.

The White Rabbit programme is guided by the clinical direction and leadership of our Clinical Psychologist. Working closely with White Rabbit since its inception, our Clinical Psychologist provides sound advice and direction for the agency as well as providing psychological and behavioural assessments (as required) for children and youth placed within White Rabbit homes.

White Rabbit provides crisis management and support on a 24 hour, 365 day a year basis, recognizing that support and direction can be required day or night. Offered by skilled professionals in the Child and Youth Services field, our on-call crisis management support staff work tirelessly to ensure any foster parents, staff or child placed in our care has access to immediate support and direction as needed.

White Rabbit offers foster parents 48 hours of monthly respite support within one of our homes or, in some circumstances, a Child and Youth Worker staff can be arranged to provide care within the foster home, acting as an alternate caregiver.

Additional benefits are provided to Therapeutic Foster Parents by White Rabbit. Please CLICK HERE or email foster@white-rabbit.ca for further information.