Alberta Foster Care Information Sessions: What to Expect and How to Prepare

The Alberta foster care information session is described as "zero-commitment" — and it is, in the sense that attending does not obligate you to apply. But for most people who attend, it is actually the most important two hours of the entire process. What happens in that room shapes how you think about fostering, what questions you ask, and whether you walk out ready to move forward or still uncertain about whether this is right for you.

Most people go in knowing far less than they think. Most people leave with a clearer picture than they expected. Here is what to expect, how to prepare, and how to use the session effectively rather than just getting through it.

What Is the Foster Care Information Session?

The information session — sometimes called an orientation, an information night, or a discovery session — is the first formal step in becoming a foster parent in Alberta. It is hosted either by a regional Children and Family Services office or by a contracted private agency, and attendance is typically the prerequisite before your application file is opened.

Sessions cover the basics of Alberta's child welfare system: who the children in care are, why they have entered care, what the role of a foster parent actually involves day-to-day, what the approval process requires, what financial supports are provided, and what ongoing training and support looks like.

A CFS worker or agency representative typically delivers the content. In many regions, experienced foster parents are also part of the session and share first-hand accounts of their experience. This peer component is often the most valuable part for prospective parents who want to understand what fostering actually feels like, not just what the policy says it is.

Who Hosts Information Sessions in Alberta?

Sessions are hosted by several different entities, and which one you attend is often determined by where you live and what pathway you want to pursue:

Regional Children and Family Services offices host general sessions open to anyone in their region. Calgary Region, Edmonton Region, Central Region (Red Deer), South Region (Lethbridge/Medicine Hat), and North Region (Grande Prairie/Athabasca) each run their own sessions.

Contracted private agencies like Catholic Social Services (Edmonton/Red Deer) and Trellis Society (Calgary) host their own sessions for families who want to apply through their specific agency. If you attend a CSS or Trellis session and decide to proceed, you will apply through that agency rather than directly through government CFS.

The Alberta Foster and Kinship Association (AFKA) provides information resources and occasionally co-hosts sessions or can connect you with local session schedules. AFKA is reachable at afkaonline.ca or 780-429-9923.

How to Find a Session Near You

Session schedules are not always prominently listed. The most reliable ways to find upcoming sessions in your area:

• Call your regional CFS office directly and ask for the next scheduled information session
• Check the websites of contracted agencies serving your area (css alberta.ca, growwithtrellis.ca for Calgary)
• Contact AFKA — they can often direct you to current regional session schedules
• Some regions post session dates on their Alberta.ca regional service pages

Sessions are held in-person in most regions, though some urban centres offer virtual sessions. If attending in-person feels like a barrier due to distance or scheduling, ask whether a virtual option exists.

What Is Covered in the Session

The typical Alberta foster care information session covers:

The children in care. Who they are, how old they typically are, why they have entered care, and what their needs look like. This section often includes reference to the demographics of Alberta's care population — including that approximately 70% of children in care are Indigenous — and what that means for foster families.

Types of placements. Emergency placements (up to 10 days), short-term placements (30 days to one year), long-term placements (over one year), specialized care, respite, and kinship care are typically explained. This is where you learn which types of placements you might be eligible for and which require additional training or capacity.

The approval process. A walk-through of the steps from information session to licensed foster home: the application package, background checks (CIRC and Vulnerable Sector Check), the medical clearance, PRIDE pre-service training, and the SAFE home study. You will get a general timeline — typically six to twelve months from application to approval.

Financial supports. Alberta's per diem structure is explained, including the basic maintenance rate and the skill fee. The 2025–2026 rates — ranging from roughly $41 per day for infants up to $68 per day for teenagers at Level 1 — are typically presented in context: this is a reimbursement for the child's costs, not a salary, and it is not taxable income.

What foster parenting is actually like. This is the part where experienced foster parents, if present, tend to take over. Expect honest conversation about the emotional complexity of the role: children who test boundaries because they are testing whether this placement will hold, birth family visits that require you to set aside any negative feelings and support the relationship, reunifications that are genuinely bittersweet, and the satisfaction that does not fit neatly into words.

Your questions. A good session leaves significant time for Q&A. This is the most valuable part — use it.

Questions Worth Asking at the Session

Most people arrive to an information session uncertain what they don't know. These questions tend to generate the most useful answers:

• What types of placements are most needed in this region right now?
• What is the realistic timeline from attending this session to receiving a first placement?
• What does a typical week look like for a foster family in this region?
• What support is available when a placement is struggling?
• How does the process work if we are specifically interested in long-term placements or adoption?
• What does fostering an Indigenous child require of us specifically?
• What is the after-hours emergency support number if we have a crisis during a placement?

The answers to these questions are region-specific and sometimes agency-specific. A session is your chance to get answers grounded in the actual local context rather than general provincial information.

How to Prepare Before You Go

Most people attend information sessions cold. Doing a small amount of preparation makes the session significantly more valuable:

Read the basics beforehand. Knowing what PRIDE training is, what a SAFE home study involves, and the basic eligibility requirements before you walk in means you can use the session for genuine Q&A rather than listening to information you could have found online.

Talk to your household in advance. Every adult in your home needs to be aligned before the session. Go together if possible. The session is designed for couples and families, not just the "interested" partner. Households where one person is enthusiastic and another is uncertain tend to stall in the middle of the application process.

Think about your capacity honestly. Before the session, consider what age ranges and placement types you are genuinely open to. Children with behavioral challenges? Teenagers? Infants? Sibling groups? You do not need a final answer, but having a starting position helps you engage with the session more specifically.

Write down your questions. They will come to you in the days before and forget the moment you sit down. Write them down in advance.

After the Session: What Happens Next

If you decide to proceed after the information session, the next step is typically a screening conversation with a worker — a one-on-one or couple's meeting to discuss your motivations, your household situation, and any initial concerns. This is not an assessment; it is a conversation. From there, your application file is opened and the formal process begins.

The Alberta Foster Care Guide is designed to be read alongside this process — giving you the depth of information the information session introduces but does not have time to fully unpack. It covers every step from the screening conversation through to your first placement, including what to expect in the home study, how to prepare your home for the safety assessment, and what the first 24 hours of a placement actually require.

If you are considering attending a session but have not yet made the call to book one, that call is the first step.

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