Empowering Foster and Kinship Caregivers

With Education, Connection and Support to Provide Stable, Nurturing Homes for Children and Youth.

Who We Are

The Caring Families Society is a grassroots organization committed to providing meaningful and accessible support, education and networking services which will continually enhance the skills and abilities of foster and kinship caregivers to deliver the best care possible to the children in their homes. Working cooperatively with the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development and the caregivers of Vancouver Island, Caring Families Society shares the responsibility for providing meaningful Education, Support and Networking opportunities to caregivers in our fostering community.

At the regional office we would like to acknowledge and thank the lək̓ʷəŋən people known as Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) ancestors and families on whose traditional lands we live. We honour our relationships with our Indigenous neighbors including MALAXEt (Malahat), T’Sou-ke (Sooke), Scia’new (Beecher Bay) and W̱SÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) Nations.

Island wide we would like to recognize, acknowledge and thank the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Kwakwaka’wakw ancestors and families on whose traditional lands we live. We honour our relationships with our Indigenous neighbours and commit to ongoing reconciliation.

Our Mission

What We Do

— We Educate

We provide education and training to foster and kinship caregivers through our workshops, webinars, and peer mentoring program. Check out our calendar below for upcoming free courses and events that you can register for, either online or locally.

Our Training

— We Strengthen

We are here for you. The Caring Families Society believes that every foster caregiver is entitled to full and equal access to our peer support, networking, training opportunities.

Programs & Services

— We Support

Our Foster Caregiver Connection Facebook Groups offer caregivers a way to come together in a safe, virtual space to support one another in the day-to-day challenges and joys of foster and kinship caregiving. Join a group today!

View Facebook Groups

FPSSS Has Become Caring Families Society (CFS)

The Foster Parents Support Services Society (FPSSS) is now the Caring Families Society. We still are the same organization, supporting Vancouver Island caregivers with a wide range of education and support services.

Over the years both the language used to describe foster caregiving and the inclusiveness of the term have changed and evolved. Our old name, Foster Parents Support Services Society, used the term ‘foster parent’, which is still commonly used. We have updated this to ‘foster caregiver’ on the new site, to better include the broader fostering community, and reflect the changing role of caregivers. We’ve also expanded our services to be more inclusive of kinship caregivers, who play an increasingly central and acknowledged role in the fostering community.