Once you have read through the information package, you can fill out the online Foster Caregiver Applicant Intake Form, which we will then forward to the Ministry of Children and Family Development office or Indigenous Child and Family Service Agency in your area. 

After we’ve processed your intake form, we will give you information on the next information session in your area. Information sessions are designed to help prospective foster caregivers make the decision about fostering.

Topics include:

• How to become a foster caregiver
• What’s involved in being a foster caregiver
• An overview of BC’s foster care system

After the Info Session, prospective foster caregivers can then formally apply to become foster caregivers. Only at this step will an application be made available.  If you choose to continue, complete the application package and return it to your local office.

• Four personal references – one must be from a relative
• A medical assessment completed by a physician*
• A criminal record check and/or review (anyone over 18 years old who will be living in the home must have a criminal record check done)
• A prior contact check for previous child welfare involvement

Please note that the process of becoming a foster caregiver may vary in some regions.

Once the initial screening is complete, you will be invited to take the required PRIDE pre-service training for foster caregivers. PRIDE Pre-Service training is required for all new prospective caregivers. PRIDE Pre-Service is 35 hours of online training, facilitated by a group of specialized virtual facilitators, and is completed over a 12-week period. Your social worker will register you for the training.

Ongoing training is required and expected of all foster caregivers to support professional development and to further their specialized knowledge and skills.

A social worker will conduct a number of in-home interviews with prospective foster caregivers and their families to assess their:

• Home environment
• Parenting skills to meet the needs of a child or youth in care
• Willingness and ability to collaborate with social workers, a child’s family and extended family, and, where appropriate, a child’s Indigenous community

Once the approval process is successfully completed, you will be asked to sign an agreement outlining your responsibilities and those of MCFD or the Indigenous Child and Family Service Agency.

Once the above is complete, a child or youth may now be placed in your home. The length of time that you may wait for your first placement depends on the needs within your community.