An information session is set for tonight in Grand Falls-Windsor about becoming a foster parent.

There is a shortage of foster families in this province, and that’s something the Newfoundland and Labrador Foster Families Association is trying to address.

Executive director Kelly Hodder says to become a foster parent a person needs to have “room in their home and room in their heart.”

She says the minimum age requirement is 25, and the person must be a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Beyond that, there is an intensive assessment process that includes background checks, home inspections, medicals, and interviews.

Hodder says the province is “always short” on foster families, noting that there are between 600 and 700 foster homes in the province right now.

She says that sounds like a lot, but there are about 900 kids in care.

Hodder says kids are being placed in care without foster homes available, and that’s leading to them ending up in other accommodations such as group homes. That’s not ideal, according to Hodder, as they would prefer kids be placed in family-based homes, in their own communities and close to their supports.

The association is hosting two information sessions this week. Tonight’s in-person event is taking place at the Mount Peyton Hotel in Grand Falls-Windsor from 6:30-7:30.

The second is a virtual session, available to everyone across the province, this coming Sunday.

Anyone looking for more information on the sessions are asked to contact the Newfoundland and Labrador Foster Families Association.