Opening homes, healing hearts: The call for foster care

September marks ‘Foster Care and Adoption Month’ in Trinidad and Tobago, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the urgent need for safe, loving homes for vulnerable children. The initiative, led by the Children’s Authority, shines a light on both foster care and adoption, urging citizens to consider opening their homes and hearts.

Speaking on Altos, Anjuli Tewari, Manager of the Foster Care Unit at the Authority, explained the distinction between the two systems. “I always start by saying foster care is not adoption. People hear the two, but they’re very different. Foster care is temporary. Adoption is permanent,” she said.

A temporary haven, a permanent impact

Foster care provides children with short- or long-term stability while the Authority works behind the scenes to reunite them with their families, where possible.

“Families have a right to their children, and children have a right to their families. As a foster parent, you are stepping in temporarily to provide a safe home, a loving home for that child,” Tewari noted.

Currently, there are 160 children in foster care, including those in kinship arrangements—placements with relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles. Despite this, the demand far outweighs the supply of foster parents.

“Every day, I get calls for placement of children… and we just don’t have enough foster parents. As a culture, we tend to rely on children’s Homes. And whilst they are trying the best that they can, ideally, children should be with families,” she stressed.

Who can foster?

The criteria are more flexible than many assume. “You can be male, female. You can be a couple. You can be a mother and daughter together. Once you have safe space and love in your heart to provide for that child for that period,” said Tewari.

Even single men are welcome to apply. “What’s important is we ask for any foster parent—single men, single women—to have good support systems. Fostering, as in being a parent, is a tough job. You need that support network,” she explained.

The Foster Care Unit works closely with families, offering practical and emotional support. “We don’t just place a child and leave. We are holding your hand through the process. We offer training, financial support for the child’s needs, counselling, and psycho-educational support. We’re creating a team around the child,” said Tewari.

This oversight extends to monitoring and reporting back to the courts, ensuring that every child remains safe. Should challenges arise—known as “placement breakdowns”—the Authority steps in to provide mediation, or, where necessary, transfers to another foster family or a children’s Home.

While fostering brings immense fulfilment, it also comes with inevitable goodbyes. Tewari admitted this is the hardest part.

“The most difficult part about being a foster carer is that you have to be prepared to say goodbye. I’m not going to lie, that is difficult, but being attached means you have a heart and you have love to give. You have given a child’s family time to heal, you’ve given them the gift of time,” she reflected.

All-time low

Despite the need, applications are dwindling. “Right now, we are at an all-time low, unfortunately, in foster care applicants,” Tewari revealed. To address this, the Authority has launched a public survey on its website (www.ttchildren.org) to uncover barriers and better understand why more people are not stepping forward.

For those interested, the Foster Care Unit encourages an initial phone call to discuss the process. Application packages and FAQs are also available online, with staff ready to guide potential carers through the journey.

Tewari urged the public to think broadly about family and responsibility. “Family isn’t always about blood. You can provide a family to a child, even if it’s for a short period. Think about how you can do charity at home and give back. Bigger picture, we are creating a better, stronger nation,” she said.

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