Foster Parent Per Diem Rates in Nunavut: Financial Supports Explained

A bag of frozen fruit costs $15 in Arviat. A small frozen pizza in Kugluktuk runs more than that. A litre of milk in most Kitikmeot communities is over $12. When 75% of Inuit children already live in food-insecure households, the per diem that comes with licensed foster care isn't a bonus — it's what makes it possible to actually care for a child.

Foster care per diems in Nunavut are higher than in any southern province, and they need to be. The cost of living here is among the highest in the country, and the financial model for foster care was designed — at least in principle — to reflect that reality.

How Per Diem Rates Work in Nunavut

The Department of Family Services sets foster care per diem rates through its Rates Policy. These are daily payments intended to cover the costs of food, personal care items, clothing (partial), and a portion of household utilities attributable to the child's presence.

Rates are tiered by two variables: the child's age, and the level of care required.

Age-based tiers reflect the actual cost differences of caring for children at different developmental stages:

• Infants (0–2 years): highest per diem tier, accounting for formula, diapers, and the intensive time requirements of infant care
• Children (2–11 years): moderate tier, covering school-related expenses, clothing, and general daily needs
• Adolescents (12–18 years): higher tier again, reflecting increased food consumption, clothing costs, and the greater expenses of teenage life

Needs-based rates apply when a child has specialized requirements — medical complexity, behavioral support needs, developmental disabilities, or transition planning for older youth. These rates are negotiated on a case-by-case basis between the caregiver and the DFS, and they can be substantially higher than the standard daily rate.

The specific dollar amounts are set by the DFS Rates Policy and are reviewed periodically to account for Nunavut's cost of living. Rates also vary slightly by region — communities in the High Arctic (Qikiqtani region) have additional cost factors for fuel and freight that are reflected in regional adjustments. Your CSSW or regional office can provide current figures.

What Per Diems Are Meant to Cover

Understanding what per diems are designed for helps avoid the frustration of expecting them to stretch further than they're designed to.

Covered: Day-to-day food costs, personal hygiene items, age-appropriate clothing (partial), basic school supplies, utilities attributable to the child, recreational activities.

Not covered by per diems alone: Major winter gear, specialized medical equipment, educational technology, therapeutic services, cultural camp fees, country food costs, and emergency expenses. These are addressed through separate allowances and funding mechanisms.

Additional Financial Supports

Clothing Allowance

A semi-annual payment specifically for clothing — paid twice per year, typically before winter and before summer. In Nunavut, winter clothing is not a discretionary expense. A proper parka and boots suitable for -40°C conditions cost hundreds of dollars even before you account for children growing out of them.

School Supplies Allowance

An annual amount for backpacks, stationery, and indoor shoes. Paid at the start of the school year.

Special Occasion Allowances

Small annual amounts for birthdays and Christmas/holiday celebrations, to ensure children in care can participate in community and family traditions.

Respite Support

Licensed foster parents are entitled to respite care support — a temporary break where another caregiver looks after the child. This is both a financial and a practical support, and it matters more in isolated communities where caregiver burnout is a real risk.

The Inuit Child First Initiative: Beyond the Per Diem

The ICFI is where the financial picture gets substantially more interesting for Inuit foster children. This federal program, administered through Indigenous Services Canada, covers essential products and services that fall outside what per diems and standard territorial programs address.

ICFI-covered items include:

• Medical equipment: hearing aids, wheelchairs, orthotics, sensory processing tools
• Educational supports: laptops, tutoring, speech therapy, assistive technology
• Cultural items: traditional clothing materials, hunting and land-based learning equipment, Inuktitut books
• Nutritional support: country food access in cases of food insecurity

ICFI is a payer of last resort — you apply through DFS first, document that standard programs can't meet the need, then apply to ICFI with that documentation. Contact: 1-855-572-4453.

A Word on Financial Sustainability

The DFS is explicit that foster care per diems are not intended to be a primary income source. Applicants who appear financially dependent on the per diems as a household income stream may face challenges in the licensing home study. The test is whether you are self-supporting, and whether the per diem supplements the child's care rather than supports the household.

That said, the reality in Nunavut is that caring for a child with complex needs — behavioral, medical, or developmental — is a substantial undertaking. Enhanced rates for specialized care are designed to acknowledge this. If you're caring for a child with particular needs and your current per diem doesn't reflect that, work with your CSSW to document the level of care and request a review.

Country Food: The Gap in the System

One place the formal financial support system has historically fallen short is country food. Seal, caribou, arctic char, and muktuk are not just traditional — they're nutritionally superior to the expensive, often low-quality shipped food that dominates Nunavut grocery stores. For Inuit children in foster care, access to country food is part of cultural continuity, not just nutrition.

ICFI can cover country food costs as a nutritional support in cases of documented food insecurity. DFS foster care guidelines also encourage foster parents to establish connections with local hunters and hunters and trappers organizations to ensure children have access to traditional foods.

If you're fostering and this is a gap you're experiencing, it's worth raising with your CSSW and, if necessary, pursuing through ICFI.

Per diems are the starting point, not the ceiling, of financial support for foster parents in Nunavut. The Nunavut Foster Care Guide lays out the full financial picture — from per diem structure to ICFI application, clothing allowances, and specialized care rates — so you're not navigating the system blind.

Get the Nunavut Foster Care Guide

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