Nov 18, 2010


Photo: John Stephen, Tom Barriage and Roxanne Kellett

Providing a foster home for a special needs child may not be for everyone, but it can be an alternative career path that provides unique opportunities for personal growth.

In an effort to better serve children with special needs in foster care, Roxanne Kellett and John Stephen founded their own private business, Partners in Therapeutic Foster Care (PARTNERS).

They have been running PARTNERS for the past 20 years under license from the Ministry of Community and Social Services. PARTNERS works as an outside paid resource or OPR to the Children's Aid Society but also serves other agencies and private families.

Prior to starting the business both Roxanne and John had spent years working in child and youth services and realized that there was a gap in foster care services that needed filling.

“John and I both saw that there were cracks in the system and that children were falling through. We often found, for example, that children with special needs who were placed in treatment centres would often do better if placed in therapeutic foster homes with extra supports,” Roxanne said.

John continued: “There was this huge gap between what was available for kids with special needs. On the one hand there was regular foster care and on the other group homes, but neither were serving the children with special needs in an optimum way. We thought that by offering homes with specially trained and prepared foster families the needs of these children could be better met.”

Partners recruits, screens, assesses and trains the therapeutic foster families on an ongoing basis with the goal of providing the best possible environment for the child, one in which he or she can best fulfill their needs and broaden their strengths.

“When we can match the needs of the child to the strengths of the foster family successfully we are at least 75% on the way to providing a good placement for that child. We make decisions with the goal that the child will be able to stay in that home for as long as they need a foster home,” said Roxanne Kellet.

She continued, “One of our biggest successes is that we have been able to place children for the long term. For example, the first child we ever placed with our very first family has been with them for 20 years.”

Both Roxanne and John also provide case management for each child and family and are available 24 hours for direction, therapeutic support, and respite. “We make ourselves readily available to the families and our case loads are very small compared to CAS where one social worker may have anywhere from 20-30 cases. The maximum that we each individually will take on is eight,” John said.

The children they serve range in age from newborns to 18 years (or 21 in certain circumstances) and are referred from community agencies or private families. The children’s special needs may include developmental delays, physical handicaps, emotional disturbances, and other behavioral problems. “Our rule of thumb is that we can serve any child as long as they are not a danger to themselves or others.” Roxanne explained,

Therapeutic Foster families can be couples or single parents either with or without their own children, whose concern is the ultimate well-being of the child. Roxanne explained, “We are looking for people who are in it for the long term and who have good common sense and are non-judgmental; people who can realize that behaviors happen for a reason and often stem from a child's past history.”

The rewards of therapeutic fostering are many, including the satisfaction of providing love, stability and direction in a child's life, developing an awareness that comes from understanding a child's special needs, and the practical benefits of choosing therapeutic fostering as an alternate career.

Tom Barriage is the newest member of the Partners team and he handles recruitment, and training of the new parent therapists.

For all three members the work they do comes from the heart and each is determined to make a positive difference in the lives of the children they serve.

John summed it this way: “Giving a child an opportunity to succeed is what we are always after. And we can do this by providing them with a sense of security and stability so that they can focus on what they really need.”

For more information about Partners please call Roxanne Kellett at 613-273-2720.

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