Extra money in foster care budget

Mitzi Dean, the child and family development minister of British Columbia, announced that families raising foster children under the age of 11 will receive 450 CAD more per month. The monthly benefit will now be CAD 1,465. And for families raising children 12 to 19 years old, the amount will be CAD 1,655, an increase of CAD 531.

The provincial budget for 2023 includes CAD 85 million to fund foster families, which is 7,800 children and their foster parents. In addition, some funding will also be available for those who have children with special needs and those who take children under their care from family members.

Katie Robertson, executive director of the Parent Support Services Society of B.C., said she herself grew up a kinship care situation herself, and increased funding would provide safety and stability for children and be a big help for parents fighting with rising inflation.

Robertson said kinship care is especially common in indigenous cultures, when parents sometimes cannot take care of their own children, who are then taken in by aunts, uncles and grandparents.

"These increases will help many kinship care families to focus on what matters most, giving these children and youth the best opportunity to live a life filled with love, stability, community and connection," concluded Katie Robertson.