Would you like to foster a child or youth in need of care, but are unable to help full-time? If so, then providing respite/relief care may be for you.
What is respite or relief care?
Respite or relief care is when trained individuals or couples provide short-term care for children or youth in need. Care is intended to be scheduled and flexible, such as on weekends and holidays. It can also be offered during emergencies or times of crisis.
Respite/relief care provides a temporary break for foster, kinship, adoptive, and birth families responsible for children/youth with varying levels of need. This extra support benefits both the child/youth and caregiver by:
- Providing a temporary break from household stress,
- Helping caregivers feel less isolated,
- Improving child/youth and family stability,
- Providing a temporary break from the emotional and physical demands of caregiving, and
- Allowing the child/youth to experience different social activities outside of the home.
Respite/relief care providers are able to :
- work with children, youth, and adolescents living with significant emotional and behavioral needs
- help youth develop skills for the greatest opportunities as adults
- support and respect the child/youth’s cultural, diverse background
- work as a team member seeking the best interest of the child/youth.
Ways you can help children and youth
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Kinship is when a relative or someone with a close relationship to a child/youth cares for them (temporarily or permanently) when their parent(s) cannot. Examples of kinship providers are grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, godparents, friends, teachers, neighbours, coaches, etc. If you are considering kinship care visit the Kinship Care page for more information.
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A foster home is when an individual or family provides full-time care for a foster child/youth. Visit the Fostering a Child or Youth page for more information and to apply.
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Respite or relief care is when an individual or family provides short-term care for a foster child/youth such as on weekends or holidays.
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Adoption is when an individual or family legally adopts a child/youth. There are multiple types of adoption, each with their own application process. Visit the Adopting a Child or Youth page for more information and to apply.
Don’t rule yourself out. Children and youth have different needs, experiences, and interests. We are looking for caring people with diverse backgrounds. You don’t have to be married, wealthy, or have a specific educational background to become a foster parent or provide respite/relief care.
Our top priority is to find safe and caring homes for children and youth.
You may be eligible to foster a child or youth if you:
- Are 19 years of age or older (professional care homes require you to be 21),
- Are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident,
- You are a Canadian citizen if you were born in Canada or granted Canadian citizenship. Depending on the circumstances, it is possible that someone born outside of Canada may also be a Canadian citizen. Visit the Government of Canada’s website for more information on Canadian Citizenship.
- A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada, but is not a Canadian citizen.
- Live in New Brunswick. If you are applying as a couple, the primary applicant must be living in New Brunswick.
- Primary applicant – The main person/contact who will be applying to become a foster family.
- Have a living space that provides a secure and healthy environment for children/ youth, and
- Complete the application, training, and review process.
Do you want to learn more about fostering?If you are interested in attending a virtual information session to learn more about fostering, please register by sending an e-mail to: To help us direct your email, please be sure to include your name and which area of the province you live in. Our next virtual information session (via Zoom) in English is scheduled for September 23rd at 7pm (duration of one hour). This presentation will provide a general overview, and there is no commitment necessary to participate. |
Online
Applying online to become a foster family is the quickest and easiest way to apply.
To get started with your fostering application online, click the Start now button at the bottom of the page.
You will be asked a series of questions to help you decide if you should apply. This will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. If it looks like fostering may be a good fit for you, you will be prompted to create an account or login to the Community Care NB portal (CCNB).
This new and secure feature allows you to apply online, safely upload documents, save your progress, and access important resources/information. As a foster parent, you will use the portal for things like submitting expenses and communicating with Social Development.
If you already have an account:
Click the login button at the top right of the page. Enter your log in information in the fields provided and click Log in button to proceed.
If you do NOT have an account:
To create a new account, enter your first name, last name, and email in the fields provided.
When you are done, click the Create an account button to proceed.
Once you have successfully logged in or created an account, we will ask you to provide more information about yourself and any other people living in your household.
If you prefer, you can download and print an application to complete by hand. Email your completed application form and supporting documents to fosterfamilies_famillesdaccueil@gnb.ca or mail to:
Foster
551 King St.
Sartain MacDonald Building
PO Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 1E7
Please allow for extra processing time if you mail your application.
Complete your application at your own convenience.
Online applications are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The ability to save your progress makes it easy to pause and resume your application as needed.
Once your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed.
Get help with your application
Email: socialsupportsnb@gnb.ca
If you have questions about your application, you can contact us by phone at 1-506-259-0232. Phone lines are open Monday-Friday between 8:15am and 4:30pm, excluding holidays.
To complete your application, you must be willing to:
Share personal information (ex: relationship status, name(s), gender, date of birth, etc.),
Share financial and medical information,
Provide all the supporting documents required by Social Development at any time in the process,
Authorize a Social Development record check,
- Social Development record checks allow the department to check their records to see if you were involved or mentioned in any reported, investigated, or confirmed cases of abuse/neglect involving a child, youth, senior, or person with a disability.
Participate in a family assessment,
Participate in PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education) Virtual Training (required for all applicants)
Provide names and contact details of three references, and
Provide a Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check (for all adults 19 years of age or older living in the household, and any immediate family members with a criminal history).
- A Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check, is a special kind of background check done by the police. This check is done to make sure that people who want certain jobs or responsibilities are safe and trustworthy.
- Criminality Checks will look at your criminal history to see if you have done something against the law in the past.
- Vulnerability Checks help identify people who may pose a risk to the safety of vulnerable groups (ex: children or youth, seniors, people living with a disability, etc.).
Help us improve!Estimated time to complete survey: 2 minutes Your journey to adopt or foster is important to us, and we'd love to hear about your application experience. Whether you applied online or by paper, whether it happened recently or in the past, your feedback helps us improve the experience for future families. |