CCAS is committed to inclusion and equity. We welcome applications from ALL families who want to provide a safe and happyhome for children in care.

Fostering means opening your heart and home to a child who needs safety, stability, and care. Foster parents provide encouragement, patience, and understanding during an important time in a young person’s life. At CCAS Hamilton, fostering is rooted in compassion, inclusion, and respect. Our work is guided by values of care, equity, and social justice. We take a holistic approach and recognize that each child and family has their own culture, identity, beliefs, and experiences. Foster parents play an important role in helping children feel valued, supported, and understood.

By creating a nurturing environment, foster parents help young people grow, heal, and build hope for the future.

Our Greatest Need

We are currently seeking foster parents who can provide safe and loving homes for:

  • Children ages 0–18
  • Children with medical challenges
  • Children with special needs
  • Children from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds

Who Are Foster Parents?

Foster parents are individuals or couples who care about supporting children and strengthening their community. They come from many different backgrounds and life experiences and may or may not have children of their own. What matters most is a commitment to providing a safe, caring, and supportive home.

Learn More

CLICK HERE for the full brochure.

To learn more about fostering through CCAS Hamilton, contact:
Steve Wiegand
905-525-2012 ext. 3158
steve.wiegand@hamiltonccas.on.ca

What do we require of our foster parents?
  • A basic understanding of the needs of children and/or youth, and a willingness to learn
  • A stable family home, regardless of family make-up (single or partnered, with or without children).
  • A bed and adequate space for each foster child. A foster child may not sleep in a regular basement.
  • Past experience caring for children or youth is a definite advantage.
  • Working foster parents must ensure appropriate supervision during working hours.
  • A love of young people, optimism, tolerance, patience and consistency are essential to the successful foster family.

Frequently Asked Questions – Foster Care

Click on each of the following questions to reveal the answers.

Who are the Children That Come into Foster Care?
  • Newborn to 18 years, with various life experiences and abilities
  • Identify or have families who identify as Catholic, or attend Catholic schools
  • Come with immense potential and a need for loving, supportive families
Why Do Children Come into Foster Care?
  • May have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect
  • Parent-child conflict
  • Parents may have mental health or addiction challenges
What is Foster Care?
  • An alternate and temporary home
  • A caring and supportive family environment
  • The Society assumes guardianship while child is in care
  • The goal is to return child to natural family, whenever possible
  • Can be short-term foster care (relief), or regular foster care (full-time)
  • When a child is unable to return to their family, adoption/permanent plans are made
What Does Becoming a Foster Parent Mean?
  • Caring for a child and their physical, spiritual, emotional, and social development
  • Advocating for the needs of a child
  • Reaching out and guiding a child through their growing years
  • Embracing and welcoming a child into the warmth of your safe and secure home
What are the Key Qualities of being a Foster Parent?
  • The desire and ability to love, nurture and parent a child
  • Patience, flexibility and consistency
  • A desire and willingness to learn
  • The desire to be part of a child’s life story.
Who can become a Foster Parent with the CCASH?
  • You can be single or a couple, with or without your own children
  • You do not have to be Catholic, but be willing to learn about the Catholic faith to support a foster child’s Catholic beliefs
  • You must be at least 21 years of age
  • You may own or rent your home
  •  You must be self-supporting
  • You may work outside the home while fostering
  • You must submit a broad sector check by police and be approved through a Home Study
  • You must complete the Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education (PRIDE) training
What Supports will a Foster Family Receive?
  • CCASH provides information, training and support to foster parents
  • Fostering is a team approach including foster parents, CCASH staff and community professionals
  • Foster parents receive ongoing financial assistance to care for foster children
  • Social workers regularly visit to provide support to foster parents and children
  • Pastoral assistance is available to foster parents and the children in their care
What are the Next Steps?

Agency Contact Information:

  • Email Steve Wiegand at steve.wiegand@hamiltonccas.on.ca
  • Send a message via the contact form below

Contact us about fostering