Fort Simpson (Mar 19/04) - Support for foster children is crucial, but building a support network for foster parents is also a necessity.

Several such parents from across the Deh Cho gathered on the weekend for a roles and responsibilities workshop in Fort Simpson.

Other than one prospective new foster parent, those present have been opening their homes to foster children for anywhere from four to 20 years.

While some of the workshop participants were clearly familiar with the material, it was also an opportunity to exchange ideas.

The goal is to reunite the foster child with his or her birth family, said Pat Strus, a foster parent from Yellowknife and a board member with the NWT Foster Family Coalition. That said, she acknowledged that a "temporary placement" ranges from two hours to 20 years.

In the meantime, despite the problems within their birth family, the foster children's relatives should be respected, Strus and fellow foster parent Pat Waugh agreed.

Although the children must be removed from the turmoil in their homes, they should be allowed as much healthy contact as possible, Waugh said.

"You're never going to replace those people," she said of the birth family.

Strus said, "It is important not to take away all their power as parents."

Balance needs

Strus also cautioned foster parents to be acutely aware of their limitations. Although it is difficult to decline a request to care for a foster child, she said provisional parents always have to put themselves and their own family's needs first.

"If you don't keep your priorities straight then eventually the whole thing crumbles," she said.

Asking social workers for advice was encouraged, as was keeping workers apprised of the child's behavioural developments. In small communities, like those in the Deh Cho, communication tends to flow easily, however, maintaining privacy, which is essential, is more of a challenge, Strus said.

Pitfalls aside, most agreed, the region is in great shape as far as social workers are concerned. "We have a really good team, so I think we're really lucky," said Waugh.

The parents went on to discuss strategies for dealing with children who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD children have deficient thought patterns and memory -- they're not "trying to drive you crazy," with their behaviour, Strus said.

Gerda Hazenberg said the Foster Family Coalition has offered training in every region of the territories and is developing NWT-wide standards.

She said Camp Connections, a summer getaway for foster children, will be opened up to youth from across the territories this year.