The average length of a placement is about two weeks, but placements can last from one day to three months. The Safe Families Canada chapter staff makes every effort at the time of placement to estimate the length of stay. Factors include the severity of the family’s crisis, and the willingness and ability of the placing parent to address the issues involved in the crisis.

While Safe Families Canada can provide placements for newborns through adolescents (0-18), there will be a concentration on the younger children (ages 0-6).

The children come from families that are experiencing a crisis of one sort or another. Such crises might include financial problems, unemployment and homelessness. In other cases, children come from families in which the parent has an unexpected stay in hospital or needs time to heal physically or emotionally. Some children come from families in which the mother is being abused. Still other families are thrown into crisis when a parent is remanded to a correctional institution.

While these and other kinds of crises are traumatic, they also offer the opportunity for positive personal and familial transformations. Acceptance of the child into SFC is based on whether a Host Family is available to care for that child when placement is being requested. Some Host Families can accept sibling groups.

Children placed with a Host Family often come from very difficult circumstances. Each child will respond to the situation differently, depending on their personality and coping skills. Some may show little response to the circumstances in their lives, while others may be deeply affected. Please note that the children placed by Safe Families are not believed to be victims of abuse and neglect. If they were, they would instead have become wards of the Crown and not eligible for this project.

Possibly, but not necessarily. Trauma can influence a normally well-behaved child to behave poorly and can influence a child with behavior problems to behave better. Some children may display behavioral problems because of the chaos in their lives, while others may astound us with their calm and composure. It’s impossible to predict how the child will behave.

Placing parents maintain full custody of their child and are encouraged to participate in decisions regarding their child’s care. Safe Families Canada aims to facilitate a relationship between volunteers and the placing parent(s). The hope is that the Host Family becomes an “extended family” for the family in crisis. Host Families are encouraged to maintain a relationship with the family even after the placement ends.

The goal of the Safe Families Canada model is to reunite children with their parent in a home that is more stable and healthier. Currently, 95% of all families that are surrounding by a Safe Families Canada circle of support come back together. If, however, the parent loses legal custody of their child(ren), Host Families are able to contact an agency about the possibility of fostering or adopting.

When a referral is received by Safe Families Canada it is assessed by the Chapter staff. The assessment will allow the Family Placement Coordinator to ascertain the suitability of the family for the SFC model of support. During this assessment, it may be determined that the family does not require the support of a Host Family. A Non-Hosting Circle of Support may best serve the family. In these scenarios, members of the Circle of Support – Family Friends, Family Coaches and Resource Friends – will wrap around the family in crisis.