Foster parents needed

Photo: File photo

New foster homes are needed in the Shuswap area.

New foster homes are needed in the Shuswap area.

There will be information session at the Ministry of Children and Families Development (MCFD) office, 550 Lakeshore Dr. NE, March 1 from 6:30-8 p.m. where people can learn how to become foster parents.

Over the past few years, several foster parents have retired from fostering, or moved on to other challenges, so the Okanagan Foster Parents Association (OFPA) along with MCFD are working to increase the current number of foster families in the community.

Most foster parents are ordinary people who have a special place in their heart for children and youth. The OFPA and the MCFD work together to provide foster families with training and support throughout the process.

Children come into foster care for many different reasons and there are approximately 65 children and youth in foster care in the Shuswap area, which includes Ashton Creek, Canoe, Enderby, Salmon Arm, and Sorrento.

Families are needed in all areas, both rural and urban. Foster parents can be any age, single or married, have their own children, have no children or have grown children.

Foster parents care for children of all ages, from birth to 19.

For more information, contact OFPA co-ordinator Carmen Point at 250-515-1522, or attend the information meeting.