Want to become a foster parent in Montreal? Here's how it works

Thinking about fostering but are overwhelmed by the process?

You're not the only one, says Marie-Pierre Ulysse, a manager in charge of foster care with Batshaw Youth and Family Centres.

• READ MORE: Lack of foster families in Montreal forcing siblings apart

The centre currently has about 330 homes but says it desperately needs another 25 families to volunteer to help the hundreds of children in the youth protection system.

"We have children coming in every day," Ulysse said. "I have a lot of babies coming out of the hospital. I have lots of young children needing care."

Can I become a foster parent?

As a result of the shortage, Ulysse is launching an appeal to all potential foster families, asking them to step forward.

She explains the process is long, but the organization takes prospective foster parents by the hand, one stage at a time.

The first step is simply to call the centre.

"Generally, we have a good volume of calls, so that's not so much where it blocks," she tells CTV News. "[The agent's] job will be to call back each of these people and have a conversation."

They will evaluate if a person is fit to foster, including having enough space in their home to welcome a child.

That means a bedroom specifically designated for them.

"Sometimes, people think their children can share with the foster child," Ulysse said. "We cannot accept that because our experience over the years has demonstrated that there's power [struggle], even between the children."

• READ MORE: 'Owning' vs raising a child: What it means to foster in Quebec

Foster children can share a room with other foster children of the same sex.

Other criteria include living on the Island of Montreal, where Batshaw's mandate resides, and being together for at least two years if the applicants are a couple.

"One of the specificities of being a foster parent is that you have the responsibilities that a parent will have for a child. One of them is to take them to school," Ulysse explains. "When I used to have a family in Laval that had to take the children to Verdun every day in the morning and bring them back, it didn't work."

Two children play. (Credit: Kindel Media/pexels.com)

If all goes well, the person will be invited to an information session where all the ins and outs of what it means to be a foster parent will be explained.

After that, the potential parent will undergo a pre-assessment interview.

"They will give you some questions. We want to know, OK, in certain situations, how would you deal with them?" Ulysse tells CTV News. "You have a four-year-old child that's refusing to go to bed, how would you deal with that?"

She says the answers are a display of true character.

"We want the strategies that are acceptable for our youth centre. If you tell me, 'Oh, I'm going to give him a good slap,' that won't work," Uylsse said. "It gives us a picture of who the people are, where they are at."

• READ MORE: Lack of foster families in Montreal forcing siblings apart

Following that, a committee will meet to go over the dossier.

If approved, Batshaw will request a list of documents, including references.

"The minute we receive their package, to us, that package is really their registration form," Ulysse explains. "So far, we have been talking and exploring, but once you complete the package and return it to us, we know that you're serious about this new project."

Ulysse says once a person or family makes it through the screening process, they must decide what kind of foster they want to embark on.

What kind of fostering is right for me?

For applicants not considered "in proximity" to the child -- as in, related to them in some capacity, there are two options.

One of them is the mixed bank option.

"It's a category where we have a lot of demand," Ulysse said. "These are people who want to have a lifetime project with a child, and so the clientele that we are matching with those families are children that technically will not be returning home [to their birth parents]."

This is the category that could eventually lead to adoption, though the wait list is long.

Then, there is what is referred to as "regular fostering."

• READ MORE: 'Owning' vs raising a child: What it means to foster in Quebec

"We have a huge need for regular foster families that will be there for the duration of the needs of the child," Ulysse said. "Generally, those children will be returned home at some point to their parent. Could be for a couple of days, a couple of months, a couple of years or forever; we'll never know. It depends."

This category is where Ulysse says more families are needed as there is such a high turnover of children entering care every day.

Prospective parents will be asked to choose which age groups they are willing to welcome into their home: zero to five, six to 12 and 13 to 17.

Once this is decided, a family is ready to start welcoming their first child or children.

A mother and child. (Credit: Pavel Danilyuk/pexels.com)

The biggest age group that needs placement is zero to five years old.

"That's where we literally have no resources," Ulysse tells CTV News. "I cannot leave a child without a resource. So I'll call my home that already has three children, tell her could you get an extra crib? I have a baby coming, and I don't have a resource for the baby."

Though she admits the high numbers put a lot of pressure on the foster families, Ulysse says feedback is almost always positive.

"They see the difference they make in the lives of the children," she explains. "When the child is ready to go back home, it's a pleasure for them... Sometimes, they'll have a good-bye party for the child."

• READ MORE: Lack of foster families in Montreal forcing siblings apart

She notes there is currently an over-representation of Indigenous, Black and Latin children in the system.

"Our clientele is very multicultural, and when we match children to foster homes, we try to match them to foster homes that are as similar as their homes of origin," Ulysse said. "I need as many foster homes as possible from all the communities because those children are your children, and they deserve the protection that all children have."

To learn more about Batshaw Youth and Family Centres or embark on a foster journey, click here.