Durham Children's Aid Society is hosting information sessions

COURTNEY McCLURE, The Standard

NORTH DURHAM: Durham Children's Aid Society (CAS) will be hosting a few information sessions across the Region of Durham, throughout February. Consider joining CAS at the Scugog Community Recreation Centre, on February 9th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

These information sessions have been organized to spread awareness and information to expel myths about the foster care system.

"The best thing for children is they remain within their own communities and families," said the supervisor of the recruitment, assessment and development team at CAS, Effie Coughlan.

CAS wants to convey how a foster parent's role can be a positive one for a child who has been put into 'the system'. A foster care parent's responsibilities include making sure the foster child's needs are being met and the child is kept safe while they are there.

For example, the foster care parent is responsible for taking the child to the doctor and any other appointments they may have.

The communications coordinator for CAS, Andrea Maenza, said, the presentation would cover why and how children come into foster care and the role foster parents play within the foster care system.

Staff will also outline the application and orientation process, discuss available training for new parents and much more.

There will also be an opportunity to meet the CAS staff and ask questions of your own.

According to Ms. Coughlan, the presentation will cover why Durham Children's Aid is looking for foster home parents.

"Sometimes people think they need to be in a relationship to be able to foster," explained Ms. Coughlan. Clarifing, she added, "We try to dispel [the myth] you have to be in a two-parent relationship to be able to foster."

She gave another example of a myth within the foster care system: needing to own your own home. If you rent your home, you can still apply to be a parent in the Durham foster care system.

For more information about Durham foster care, please visit the Durham Children's Aid Society website, at durhamcas.ca, or you can email the CAS team, at foster@durhamcas.ca.

"We really recommend, if people have the opportunity, to come to one of our information sessions," encouraged Ms. Coughlan.

Curious community members are encouraged to join CAS, at their information sessions, to learn more about foster care!