Foster Care Placement Types in Saskatchewan: Group Homes, Foster Homes, and Kinship Care

Saskatchewan's out-of-home care system has several distinct placement types. They're not interchangeable — each serves a different population, operates under different regulations, and produces different outcomes for children. Understanding the difference matters both for prospective caregivers deciding what role to play and for birth families navigating what's happening with their children.

Group Homes vs. Foster Homes: The Core Distinction

A group home is a staffed residential facility. Children live in a house with a rotating roster of paid childcare workers. There's no consistent parent figure — staff work shifts, children go to a building rather than a family. Group homes are licensed and regulated by the Ministry of Social Services and are typically used for older youth with complex needs when family-based placements aren't available or have broken down.

A foster home is a licensed private residence. One or two approved foster parents care for the child as part of their family. There is a consistent adult attachment figure. The child goes to school from a home, eats meals with the family, and experiences something approximating normal family life.

The research on outcomes is clear: children in family-based care — foster homes, kinship homes — consistently do better on every measurable indicator than children in group care. Saskatchewan's own data shows that about 16% of out-of-home children are in traditional foster homes and 57% are in kinship/PSI placements, meaning the system is heavily reliant on family-based models even as it faces a shortage of licensed foster homes.

The problem with group homes in Saskatchewan: Group homes have come under sustained criticism in provincial audit reports and SACY (Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth) annual reports. The 2025 SACY report documented 30 deaths of youth in care and continued concerns about the care quality in congregate settings. Group homes are not first-choice placements — they're used because family-based alternatives aren't available.

If you become a licensed foster parent, you are directly helping reduce Saskatchewan's dependence on group care.

Traditional Foster Care

Traditional (standard) foster care is a licensed placement in a private home. The Ministry places a child with an approved family for a period ranging from days to years, depending on the Care Plan goal.

There are three main duration categories:

Emergency care: Short-term, often overnight or for a few days, while a more permanent arrangement is found. High demand, high intensity, requires 24-hour availability.

Short-term care: Typically weeks to 12 months. The goal is usually reunification with the birth family while parents work on a case plan.

Long-term care: For children who cannot safely return home but who maintain some connection to their birth family. Some long-term foster placements continue until the child's adulthood.

Kinship Care (Person of Sufficient Interest)

Kinship care — called Extended Family Care or Person of Sufficient Interest (PSI) placement in Saskatchewan — is care by a relative or someone with a significant pre-existing relationship to the child.

This is the most common placement type in Saskatchewan, accounting for roughly 57% of out-of-home care. When a child is apprehended or their parents are unable to care for them, the first question the Ministry and delegated First Nations agencies ask is: is there a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or close family friend who can take this child?

For Indigenous children — who make up over 80% of Saskatchewan's care population — kinship placement with extended family members preserves cultural connections and is legally preferred under both provincial legislation and federal Bill C-92.

PSI caregivers receive financial support similar to foster care per diems but operate under a court order rather than a voluntary foster care license. Many PSI caregivers did not plan to be caregivers — they stepped in during a family crisis.

What "Range of Acceptance" Means

During the home study process, your MSS caseworker will ask you to define your range of acceptance — the age, gender, number, and any special needs of children you feel equipped and willing to care for.

This is not a commitment. It's a framework that helps placement workers match children with appropriate homes. A family that specifies "0–6 years, up to two children, comfortable with developmental delays but not medically complex needs" gives the placement worker useful information. A family that says "we'll take anyone" actually makes the placement worker's job harder.

Your range of acceptance can be updated over time as your experience grows. Many foster families start with a narrow range and expand it after gaining confidence and training.

Being honest about your range of acceptance — rather than trying to seem maximally helpful — leads to better placements, more stable homes, and better outcomes for children.

Specialized and Therapeutic Placements

Children with acute medical, behavioral, or developmental needs are placed in specialized care or therapeutic foster homes. These homes are matched with children whose care plan explicitly identifies a specialized placement as necessary.

Specialized foster parents receive higher financial support through the PRIDE Levels of Pay framework — Level 3 through Level 5 fees ranging from approximately $1,300 to $2,900 per month in addition to the basic maintenance per diem.

Getting to a therapeutic care designation requires completing additional PRIDE training modules and demonstrating capacity through prior placements.

Choosing Your Role

The placement type question is really a question about what you can realistically offer. Emergency care demands immediate availability. Long-term care requires emotional stamina and the ability to maintain relationships through difficult periods. Therapeutic care requires specific training and robust personal support.

Start where you are. The system needs licensed homes at every level — there is no placement type that isn't critically short.

The Saskatchewan Foster Care Guide covers how placement types connect to the PRIDE training levels, how your range of acceptance is recorded and used, and what to expect when a placement worker calls.

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