Alberta foster parents and kinship caregivers are receiving more money from the provincial government, as originally laid out in the 2012 budget.
Funding for foster care is to increase $11.4 million to a total of $184 million, the Department of Human Services said this week.
“We’re very happy,” said Sylvia Thompson, the vice-president of the Alberta Foster Parent Association and a foster parent herself in Drayton Valley. “The cost of living is constantly going up so it’s timely, . . . We weren’t even expecting quite that much.”
The money will got towards financial compensation for parents and caregivers in regards to the rising day-to-day costs of raising a child. This includes a 2.6 per cent increase in the basic maintenance rates for children all age groups, to help cover the costs of clothing, food, spending allowances, general household cost, etc.
For example, said Thompson, the daily rate for children up to the age of one is increasing to $22.58 from $22.01 and the rate for children aged six to eight is increasing to $25.18 from $24.54 a day.
“Every little bit helps,” she said.
Also starting on April 1, foster parents will receive $1.50 per child a day for skill fees. The skill fee compensates caregivers for their level of training in caring for a child, based on the classification of the foster home.
There will also be an increase from $5 to $6.50 per hour for babysitting for caregivers who are attending training sessions or approved appointments. The maximum daily rate for babysitting increased from $150 to $195 per day.
The increases are a result of recent discussion between the AFPA and the Alberta government.
“Foster parents open their hearts to children and youth, helping them through some of the most difficult and challenging times of their young lives,” said Human Services Minister Dave Hancock in a press release. “This funding increase will help us continue to support the important work of foster parents and kinship caregivers who provide safe and nurturing homes for some of our most vulnerable children.”
While the extra funds will be a great help, it’s important to remember there is a severe shortage of foster parents in the system, said Thompson.
As of December, there were 313 approved foster care homes providing for 435 children in the Red Deer region and 68 kinship care homes looking after 123, said Lisa Shankaruk, communications for Human Services. “We could use more social workers as well, more frontline staff,” said Thompson. “But we truly just need more foster parents.”
rfrancoeur@www.reddeeradvocate.com