What is holding you back from becoming a Foster Parent? |January 28, 2011 | The bible is full of passages exhorting us to care for the widows and orphans and it seems that quite often we think that only applied to the people of Israel, way back when. Did you know that, while there may not be any orphanages in Canada anymore, there are some 80,000 children under the protection of child and family service agencies? These children need families. They need a place to belong. Whether it is for adoption or for temporary placement, Canada needs families to help care for these children.

We asked the question on Facebook and received several answers. Most of you expressed a desire to, one day be foster parents. Ashley Rhyno shared that there is sometimes a “stigma” to foster children or fostering children. She explains that this stigma does not help – but that people are concerned foster children can get in trouble. Gregory Gauthier writes that he grew up in an orphanage in Quebec. He was adopted by a family in the U.S. He is grateful that there were orphanages at the time. Janet Bosco would like it if there were better parents stepping up to be foster parents. The last thing these children need is more dysfunction.

Our guests this week have a lot to say about fostering. Ann Westlake is the Manager of Foster Care, Adoption and Kinship Services, at the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto; and Jeff Gunnarsonhas had some 15 children living as foster children in his home. Both agree that children need love, care and a place to belong.