1.5.1 Resource Management

This section pertains to the recruitment and management of foster home resources by child and family services agencies and their mandating authorities. It includes persons who provide a place of safety and apply for a foster home licence as required in Section 1.4.2, Places of Safety.

• Legislation

  Child and Family Services Agencies

  The definition of a foster home in section 1 of The Child and Family Services Act (the Act) is a home other than the home of the parent or guardian of a child. Section 7 of the Act lists the duties of child and family services agencies. Clause (g) requires an agency to provide care for children in its care. Clause (l) requires an agency to develop and maintain child care resources. Section 8 provides for the licensing of foster homes.
  
  Section 1 of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation defines a licensing agency as an agency that licenses foster homes. Section 2 states that the regulation applies to foster homes and respite foster homes. Section 3 pertains to the application process. Subsection 3(1.1) allows an agency not to accept applications if it already has enough licensed foster homes.

  Child and Family Services Authorities

  Clause 19(l) of The Child and Family Services Authorities Act requires authorities to ensure the development of appropriate placement resources for children.
  Under section 20 of the Child and Family Services Authorities Regulation, the authorities and the director share the duty under clause 4(1)(j) of The Child and Family Services Act to ensure the development of appropriate placement resources for children.

• Policy

  Foster Care

  Foster parents play an essential role in the delivery of child and family services.
  The purpose of foster care is to protect and nurture children during their time in care. It is intended to provide children with a temporary residence until they can be returned home, placed with extended family, alternate guardianship arrangements are made or they graduate to independent living.

  It is important to develop culturally appropriate resources. 

  The Foster Care Placement Communication Protocol (2019) provides supplementary information for the policies and standards below. It can be found on CFSIS in Forms\Protocols.

  Foster Home Staff

  Child and family services agencies are responsible for the development, licensing and use of foster homes through staff assigned to manage these resources.

  Agencies may collaborate with other agencies or community care providers in carrying out their foster home management responsibilities, including their mandating authority.

  Foster Home Recruitment

  Child and family services authorities and their agencies collectively share the responsibility to ensure there is an adequate supply of suitable foster homes to meet the needs of the majority of children in care through appropriate means including:

  • engaging the assistance of existing foster parents
  • working with the Kinship and Foster Family Network of Manitoba and/or local organizations
  • approaching an individual or couple regarding a specific child/children
  • engaging in local or regional recruitment campaigns in collaboration with other authorities and agencies
  • participating in province-wide foster home recruitment campaigns in collaboration with the Province of Manitoba

  Foster Home Enquiries

  Agencies are required to respond to all enquiries about foster parenting. As stated in 3(1.1) of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation, if an agency has enough foster homes, it may decline to accept an application. However, as part of its responsibility to other agencies, the agency is expected to identify potential foster parents and to encourage them to apply to another agency. Agencies are also expected to record enquiries as an incidental contact.

  Foster Parent Orientation and Training

  As required under subsection 3(3) of the  Foster Homes Licensing Regulation, licensing agencies must provide orientation to foster home applicants. Although not required, agencies are encouraged to provide an orientation to foster home applicants when the foster child to be placed is personally known to them. The Kinship and Foster Family Network of Manitoba (KFFNM) offers an orientation to foster home applicants.

  Agencies and their mandating authorities are also expected to provide ongoing training for foster parents (Foster Parent Training and Development, Section 1.5.5, Support and Respite).

  Complaints Relating to Foster Homes

  There are six categories of complaints relating to foster homes. Child and family services agencies and their authorities are expected to respond to each category as follows:

  • Child Protection (Including Abuse) Allegations – This type of complaint involves an allegation that a child is or might be in need of protection as a result of an act or omission by a foster parent, alternate care provider or other individual in the home. These situations must be dealt with as a child protection referral. These situations are covered in detail in Section 1.3.4, Provincial Child Abuse Investigations.

  • Complaints about Foster Homes other than Child Protection Allegations – These are complaints other than allegations that a child is or might be in need of protection. They may pertain to concerns about the care and supervision of a foster child, alleged violations of approved standards or failure by a foster parent to report an incident involving a foster child. In addition to requirements in Section 1.7.3, Complaint Review Process, agencies and their authorities are expected to resolve these complaints in a way that both respects the role of foster families and is in the best interests of the child.

  • Complaints by Foster Parents and Care Providers – These are complaints made by foster parents or other care providers in a foster home. They may pertain to such matters as lack of contact or support by an agency, lack of services or resources for a child, insufficient funding, the amount of respite provided, interference by parents of a foster child and compensation for damages. Agencies and their authorities are expected to respond to these complaints as required under Section 1.7.3, Complaint Review Process.

  • Appeals against Licensing Decisions – These complaints pertain to the right of foster home applicants and parents under subsection 8(2) of the Act to appeal decisions made by licensing agencies with respect to the issuing, suspension, cancellation or renewal of a foster home licence. This category is covered in Section 1.5.2, Licensing and Licensing Appeals.

  • Grievances by Foster Children – This category pertains to the right of foster children under section 21 of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation to grieve the actions of a foster parent and other care providers in a foster home. Policies and standards relating to this category are contained in Section 1.5.4, Care Roles and Responsibilities.

  • Removal of Children – This category pertains to the right of foster parents under section 51 of the Act to appeal an agency’s decision to remove a child. It is covered in Section 1.5.6, Removing Children.

  Managing Agencies

  Mandated child and family services agencies have the legislative authority to licence foster homes. This authority cannot be delegated. However, activities related to the development and management of foster home resources may be carried out by a managing agency, for example, another mandated agency or a community care provider  The licensing agency, however, continues to have legal responsibility for the operation and use of the home.

  Consistent with section 6 of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation, there must be only one agency responsible for managing each foster home applicant or foster family, whether it is the licensing agency or a managing agency. Conversely, each applicant and family must have an agency that is responsible for that home.

  Resource management activities carried out by a managing agency may include:

  • recruitment
  • assessment of applicants
  • orientation and training
  • making recommendations with respect to the licensing
  • assisting placing agencies in selecting a foster home for the placement of a child
  • consulting with placing agencies and foster parents regarding special rates for a child
  • assessing the need for support and respite services in consultation with placing agencies and foster parents
  • advising placing agencies of planned and unplanned absences
  • investigating complaints other than child protection (including abuse) allegations

  Foster Home Records

  A foster home record is a service record of a foster home applicant or parent created by a child and family services agency or a service provider. It includes a foster care management case created in the Child and Family Services Information System (CFSIS) and any other electronic or paper record created by an agency or service provider.

  Foster home records are voluntary service records under subsection 76(12) of the Act. Foster parents have a right to access information on the file subject only to limitations to access in subsections 76(4) to (8) of the Act.

  Information and documentation in a foster home record can only be disclosed in accordance with subsection 76(3) of the Act and, when a foster parent has requested a licence transfer, section 13.1 of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation. Information and documentation in foster home records cannot be shared with agency staff not directly involved in the licensing and management of the home without the consent of the foster parents, unless the information is relevant to a child protection investigation.

  When a foster parent applies for a licence transfer to another agency, all third-party information and documentation on file relating to the licensing of the home such as medical or personal references, form part the record and are included in the information and documentation transferred to the other agency (Standard 15, Section 1.5.2, Licensing and Licensing Appeals).

  Please note any child-specific information other than that specified in standard 7 in 1.5.3 Foster Home Placements, should not be recorded in the foster care record. Any child-specific information that has been shared with the foster parent or the community care provider must be returned to the placing agency at the conclusion of the placement.

  Child Placement Resource Lists

  As part of their responsibility to develop, manage and support placement resources for children in care, agencies are required to maintain a current list of all foster home applicants and licensed foster homes, including families and agency staff providing a place of safety. The list is compiled from information recorded on the foster care management records (Standard 6) and contains the information required under Standard 9.

  Agencies can generate the following CFSIS reports relating to foster care and places of safety:

  RFac001 Foster Home Statistics
  RFac002 Current Facility Information
  RFac003 Facility Occupancy
  RFac005 Facility Utilization History
  RFac006 Placement Monitoring Report
  RFac010 Place of Safety Facility Occupancy
  RFac011 Foster Home Space Utilization by Agency
  RFac012 Facility Vacancy
  RFac014 Foster Home Management Report
  RFac015 Foster Home Licensing Statistics
  RFac016 Bed Space by CAA (Culturally Appropriate Authority)
  RFac017 Place of Safety Management Report
  
  

• Standards

  1. Development and Management of Foster Homes – An agency is responsible to develop, license and manage foster home resources.
  2. Staff Orientation to Foster Care – Within three months of commencing employment, all workers and supervisors, as part of their orientation to the agency, receive information about the agency’s foster care program.
  3. Foster Care Worker Assignment – An agency ensures that each foster home has a worker assigned to provide supervision and support.
  4. Orientation for Foster Home Applicants – A licensing agency ensures that a foster home applicant receives an orientation to foster care within three months of accepting a written application for a license to operate a foster home. The orientation may be provided individually or in groups. An agency may licence a foster home prior to completing the orientation process if it is satisfied that an applicant has met all other licensing requirements in Part 2 of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation.
  5. Opening a Foster Care Management Case – A licensing agency opens a foster care management case:
     • when a decision is made to accept an application for a licence
     • on accepting the transfer of a licence pursuant to section 13.1of the Foster Homes Licensing Regulation
     • when a community care provider submits an application on behalf of a foster parent applicant

     A person record and a pending case record is opened on CFSIS, noting the date the pending case was opened. On receiving a signed application for a licence to operate a foster home, the foster care management case is opened with an application status, noting the date the case was opened.

  6. Foster Care Management Record Content –a foster care management record maintained by a licensing agency also contains:
  • completed forms and other documentation pertaining to the screening, assessment, approval, licensing and use of foster homes
  • information on the bed capacity of the foster home and the characteristics of children to be placed
  • current information on the placement and removal of children, the number of children in the home and the number of children with special needs
  • information on each foster child in the home required under Standard 7 in Section 1.5.3, Placing Children
  • current support and respite services provided to each home including the total cost over basic maintenance
  • the name, address, phone number and email address of all placing workers and, when applicable, the name of the placing agency
  7. Record Confidentiality and Access – Foster home applicants and foster parents, as the case may be, are advised of confidentiality and access provisions in section 76 of the Act and provincial policy included in this section. Each foster care management file contains a record that the foster parents have been informed of these requirements and are prepared to comply with them.
  8. Closing a Foster Care Management Record – a licensing agency closes a foster care management case when:
  • a foster home ceases operations or foster parents moves out of province
  • the agency refuses to issue a licence and the foster home applicant has not appealed or has unsuccessfully appealed the decision
  • the agency transfers a licence to another agency
  • the licence is cancelled, the agency does not intend to reinstate the licence, and the licensee has not appealed or has unsuccessfully appealed the decision
  9. Maintaining Current Placement Resource List – A licensing agency maintains a current list of all foster home applicants and licensed foster homes, including families and agency staff providing a place of safety. The list contains the following information from the foster care management record (Standard 6 ):
  • names and addresses of place-of-safety parents and foster home applicants and parents and other relevant contact information
  • characteristics of children to be placed
  • bed capacity and current vacancies  
  • children placed in the home including name, age, sex, dated placed or discharged
  • the name, address, phone number, agency and email address of all placing workers for each home in use

  Child and family services agencies are required to use CFSIS to develop and maintain their foster home resource lists

Report Broken Link