Valoris for Children and Adults of Prescott Russell is looking to recruit more foster families to help the organization match children and adults in need with the best home possible.

The ‘We All Have Something to Offer’ campaign aims to recruit new families ready to welcome adults with intellectual disabilities, children and youth. While Valoris currently has a sufficient number of foster homes, a wider selection of potential families allows the organization to offer placements which meet the personality of each family, in order to offer a better match.

“There is always an ongoing need for people who would be ready to open their homes to adolescents,” observes Catherine Dupont, Clinical Support Supervisor with Valoris. “It is always better to have a larger resource network of families, because sometimes you want to have better matching.

“Let’s say a youth loves hockey. Do we have a family that is already involved in hockey, who could more naturally be involved in hockey with that youth? The more diversity of families we have, the more chances we have of better matching.”

In addition to families of all cultures and backgrounds, Valoris also accepts foster parents who are alone or in a relationship, with or without children, employed or retired. Anyone who is able to offer a child, young person or an adult a loving and structured home is invited to meet with Valoris. Residents of Prescott-Russell can become a foster home, a home sharer for an adult with an intellectual disability, or even an emergency home to welcome children for a short period of time.

“It could be just a single parent, or somebody who is a single adult, members of the LGBTQ community – we are really looking for a good representation of our community,” Dupont says, adding there are also particular areas of need for Valoris. “We are also in need of families who would be open to have adults with developmental disabilities to accompany them in their daily lives.”

Foster home candidates must undergo a screening, which includes interviews with Valoris staff and a criminal background check. Valoris utilizes the Safe Home Study Process for home evaluations, which is standard for foster organizations throughout the province of Ontario.

“A family which calls in can expect to have three to four meetings with workers – sometimes individual meetings or family – it depends on the structure your family has,” Dupont notes.

Anyone who would like to make a difference in a child’s life can contact Valoris anytime at 1-800-675-6168. You can also visit the Valoris website for more information. If you want to offer support to someone in need, Valoris would like to meet you.

“Our slogan of this campaign is ‘We All Have Something to Offer’ and the basis is that when you open your home to someone you never know what this person will bring to your family and likewise,” Dupont emphasizes. “Regardless of whether you think you are the right person, we are open to see the potential of everyone.”