How to Become a Foster Parent in Nunavut: The Complete Guide

As of 2016, nearly one-third of Nunavut's children in care were living outside the territory — in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta. Not because there weren't people in Nunavut who could care for them, but because the formal licensing process is opaque, the information is scattered, and a social worker who might otherwise walk you through it is often stretched across a caseload that no single person should carry.

If you're thinking about becoming a foster parent in Nunavut, this guide explains what the process actually looks like — the requirements, the steps, the honest obstacles, and how people successfully navigate them.

Who Can Apply?

Foster care in Nunavut is administered by the Department of Family Services (DFS) under the Child and Family Services Act. The baseline eligibility requirements are:

Age: You must be at least 19 years old. In practice, many regional offices prefer applicants to be 21 or older, as this signals greater life stability.

Residency: You must be a continuous resident of Nunavut. This doesn't mean you need to have been here for a specific number of years — it means you live here now, know the community's reality, and aren't applying for a placement you'll then move south with.

Financial stability: You must be able to demonstrate you're self-supporting and not dependent on foster care per diems as your primary income. Foster rates in Nunavut are among the highest in the country because the cost of living is among the highest in the world — but they're designed to cover the child's costs, not to replace a salary.

Background checks: A Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) through the RCMP is mandatory for every adult in the household aged 18 or older. The DFS also runs an internal check through its own records for any history of child neglect or abuse.

Medical clearance: A physician or nurse practitioner must certify your physical and mental health. In communities without a resident doctor, this often means waiting for a visiting "fly-in" physician, which can add weeks to your timeline.

There are no requirements around marital status, religion, or — importantly — ethnicity. Non-Inuit applicants can and do become licensed foster parents in Nunavut. That said, the home study process will include a cultural competency component examining your willingness to support an Inuit child's language, traditional foods, and connection to kin.

The Application Process, Step by Step

Step 1: Initial Contact with DFS

Start at your community's Social Services Office. In most hamlets, this means calling or walking in to meet your Community Social Services Worker (CSSW). In Iqaluit, you can reach the Qikiqtani regional office at (867) 975-5777. For Rankin Inlet and the Kivalliq region, the number is (867) 645-5064. Cambridge Bay and Kitikmeot: (867) 983-4071.

This first conversation serves as an orientation. The worker will explain what fostering in a small community actually involves — and "small community" means something specific in Nunavut. Everyone will likely know the child's status, the biological parents, the history. There's no anonymity. Your CSSW will want to understand whether you're prepared for that reality.

Step 2: Gather Your Documentation

You'll need to compile a package before the formal home study can proceed:

1. RCMP Vulnerable Sector Check — Submit at your local detachment. In remote communities, RCMP staff rotation can delay processing times. Start this first.
2. DFS Internal Record Check — The department runs this on your behalf once you've formally applied.
3. Medical Examination Form — Completed by a physician or nurse practitioner for all household members.
4. Three Reference Letters — From non-relatives who have known your family for at least three years and have observed you with children. These should speak to your character, stability, and your relationship with children specifically.

Step 3: The Home Study

The home study is the most significant part of the process, and it's worth understanding what it involves.

A social worker will conduct multiple interviews with all household members. These aren't trick questions — they're trying to understand who you are. Topics typically include why you want to foster, your own childhood experiences, how you handle conflict and stress, and how your household manages day-to-day life.

For non-Inuit applicants, there's an additional cultural competency component. The worker is looking at your genuine willingness to provide traditional food, support Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun language exposure, and facilitate contact with biological kin. Being honest about what you don't yet know — and showing you want to learn — matters more than pretending certainty.

The physical inspection covers:

• Working smoke detectors in every bedroom
• Carbon monoxide detector near your heating system
• Secure storage for medications, cleaning chemicals, and firearms
• Functioning water and sewage systems (remembering that many Nunavut homes use truck-delivered water)
• Windows and doors that can be opened from inside for emergency egress

If something is missing, this doesn't automatically disqualify you. Workers will often work with you to bring the home up to standard rather than reject an otherwise strong application.

Step 4: Approval and Licensing

Once the home study report is complete, it goes to the Regional Supervisor for review. If approved, you receive a license specifying how many children can be placed, based on your available space and the assessed needs you can meet.

Licenses are valid for one year and must be renewed annually. Renewal is simpler than the initial application — it's primarily a safety check and a review of any training you've completed.

The Housing Situation

Nunavut has a severe housing shortage. Over 3,000 new units are needed to reach national standards. Sixty percent of Nunavummiut live in social housing, and 45% of those units are already overcrowded.

If you're in a smaller social housing unit, this doesn't automatically disqualify you from fostering. The DFS applies a "safety adequacy" standard rather than a rigid square footage rule. Workers understand that Nunavut housing doesn't match southern expectations, and they're assessing whether the home is safe and whether the child will have a bed, not whether you have a spare bedroom by Ontario standards.

There's also a practical incentive worth knowing: in some communities, being a licensed foster parent can improve your position on the housing waitlist, as it demonstrates a direct community need for additional space.

Training: The Inunnguiniq Program

Foster parent training in Nunavut uses a curriculum called Inunnguiniq — "the making of a human being." It was developed by the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre in collaboration with Elders, and it replaces the southern PRIDE model used elsewhere in Canada.

The training runs approximately 35 to 55 hours across 19 sessions. It covers traditional child-rearing principles, trauma and healing from residential school impacts, naming practices and kinship networks, and land-based learning as an essential part of child development.

In remote communities, training is often delivered by a locally trained facilitator, and some sessions are available via video conference in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. If you're in a community without a facilitator, ask your CSSW how regional training is delivered and what the current schedule looks like.

What Happens After Approval

Once you're licensed, placements are made by the DFS based on available children and the assessed fit. The system prioritizes kinship placements first — a relative of the child who can care for them — then community foster care, then regional or out-of-territory options if nothing else is available.

You may wait some time between licensing and your first placement, or you may get a call quickly. Emergency placements can happen with very little notice.

When a child is placed, document everything from the start: their full name and N-Number (Inuit beneficiary number), known allergies and current medications, names of biological family and extended kin, their primary language, and any cultural practices that matter to them. This record is both legally important and practically necessary when advocating for their needs.

The process of becoming a licensed foster parent in Nunavut is navigable, but the information isn't always easy to find in one place. The Nunavut Foster Care Guide brings the application requirements, home study checklist, cultural obligations, and financial supports together in a format built for where you actually live.

Get the Nunavut Foster Care Guide

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