Becoming a foster parent in Canada

Verified: October 2026

Fostering means opening your home — and your life — to a child who can't live with their parents for a time. In Canada, each province and territory runs its own system: the big principles look alike, but the names, amounts, and steps change from one province to the next.

Requirements you'll find almost everywhere

Be 18 or older (21 in some contexts).
Offer a stable, safe home — you don't need to own it.
Pass a home assessment (interviews + home visit).
Pass criminal and child-welfare background checks for every adult in the home.
Complete the required pre-service training (often the PRIDE program).
Show stability — financial, emotional, family.

Myths to forget: no, you don't need to be a couple; no, you don't need to already have children; no, you don't need to be wealthy — you need to be stable and available.

The typical process, step by step

First call — to the body in your area (find it with our lookup tool).
Information session — understand the role before committing.
Written application — form + consents for background checks.
Home study — several interviews, home visit, references.
PRIDE training — typically 27 to 35 hours, on attachment, grief, positive discipline, working with birth families.
Approval — your file is accepted.
Matching — you're offered a child whose needs fit what you can provide.

Realistic timelines: 3 to 6 months from first call to approval, sometimes more depending on the region and how fast the checks go.

PRIDE and SAFE: the national standards

Most provinces use the PRIDE program (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) for pre-service training: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario (27 h). Ontario also uses the SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) home study, also used in Alberta.

And then? Daily life

You work as a team with social workers: you're never alone.
Ongoing training is part of the role.
Respite exists: another foster family can step in temporarily.
Each province has a foster parent association for support and advocacy.

By province

Our first complete guide is Quebec. Guides for the other 12 provinces and territories are coming — meanwhile, the lookup tool gives you the official body, contacts, and published amounts for each province.