Nearly 200 foster families and adoptive parents descended upon Jasper last weekend for a major conference designed to educate, train and relieve stress.

Hosted by Alberta Children’s Services, the parents came from around Region 7, a massive operations zone that stretches from Jasper to Lac la Biche and Cold Lake. 

“This is the third year now that we’ve had the conference, but what’s unique is that this is a combined event for foster parents and adoptive parents,” said Sandy Worobec, a regional adoptions specialist from Whitecourt. Called “Care for the Caregiver” the focus of the three-day event was on providing support and education for those who have made the choice to adopt or act as foster parents. 

“It’s hard for someone to appreciate it until they’re in it,” said James Toner, the foster care coordinator for the western part of the region. “People have an appreciation for parenting, but parenting a child who is not your biological child and who has perhaps been exposed to abuse and neglect is extra tough.”

Through a series of lectures and workshops, the parents in attendance were given training on parenting strategies to deal with children that have special needs or diagnoses such as attention deficit disorder or fetal alcohol syndrome. Another key area was grief training, essential for both the parents and the children they must care for, according to Toner. The delegates were not all new to foster parenting or adoption, he said.

“We have quite a cross section of families, those that have cared for 75 foster kids and some who are here for their first additional training.”

While the educational element of the weekend was crucial, it was equally important to provide an opportunity for parents to meet other people in similar situations, and also to relax and get out of their daily routines.

“That’s definitely one of the goals of this,” said Dan Stoesz, a foster care specialist from Lac La Biche. 

The stress of foster parenting is only increasing in this day and age, Stoesz said.

“We just have so many kids in the system, foster homes are really overcrowded,” he said. “It’s not just a province-wide program, but an international problem.”

Not only are there more children who need foster care, but Stoesz is hearing from long-time foster parents that the kids are getting progressively harder to handle.

“We live in a society that’s just more difficult to get along in,” he said. “It’s not as simple as it was in my parents’ generation, or even in my day.”

Training conferences like the one held in Jasper do all they can to keep up with the needs of parents, but Children’s Services is short of resources on the ground to provide ongoing support for these families. In this region, that situation is exacerbated by the long distances people like Stoesz and Toner must travel. Improving the situation involves two key elements, Stoesz said.

“If people are well-trained and supported, that helps a lot. Foster parents are the best recruiters so if they feel supported they go out and get other people to start doing it as well, and that’s what we need.”