The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) will observe National Foster Care Recognition Week 2021 from February 14 to 20, under the theme ‘Every Child Needs a Family’.

The scheduled activities aim to heighten awareness about foster care, with special focus on promoting the recently launched ‘From Cribs to Arms’ Initiative.

The objective of this year’s Foster Care Programme is the recruitment of at least 150 foster care applicants over six weeks.

At the end of December 2020, the CPFSA had 522 males and 604 females in its Foster Care Programme.

There is also the Agency’s Living in Family Environment (LIFE) programme, which aims to provide the necessary support for families so that children can remain with their parents, or be placed in enriching family environments when the home environment is not safe.

Foster Care, one of the main elements of the LIFE Programme, is a process that allows non-biological parents to care for children in State care and, in the process, provide them with a nurturing home environment, while positively contributing to their overall development.

“Acknowledging the importance of these arrangements, the CPFSA, since 2006, has annually observed the second week in February as National Foster Care Recognition Week. Over the years, the week has been used to honour our foster parents, raise awareness about the programme, and intensify recruitment of new foster parents,”

Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey highlighted.
She pointed out that, in light of the Agency’s thrust to ensure that no child 0-3 years is placed in institutional care, there will be a heightened focus on the recruitment of new foster care parents.
“This is an added component to the Foster Care Programme, which we are seeking to promote throughout the observance, and onwards, as we see family as the best place for children to thrive holistically,”

Mrs Gage-Grey added.