How to Become a Foster Parent in the Northwest Territories

There are approximately 140 licensed foster homes in the Northwest Territories for a child welfare system where nearly every child in care is Indigenous. That gap is not an abstract statistic — it means children are being placed in communities they do not belong to, separated from the languages and lands that are central to their identity. If you have been thinking about fostering, the NWT genuinely needs you.

The process to become a licensed foster parent in the NWT takes roughly six to twelve months from your first inquiry to approval. It involves record checks, a detailed home study, pre-service training, and signing a set of formal agreements. None of it is designed to weed you out — it is designed to prepare you for one of the most complex caregiving environments in Canada.

Who Administers Foster Care in the NWT

The Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) is the governing body for child welfare across the territory's 33 communities. Services are delivered through regional authorities that each have their own central office:

• Yellowknife Region — covers Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ, and surrounding communities
• Beaufort-Delta (NTHSSA) — based in Inuvik, covering Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, and Ulukhaktok
• Sahtu (NTHSSA) — based in Norman Wells, covering Délı̨nę, Fort Good Hope, and Colville Lake
• Dehcho (NTHSSA) — based in Fort Simpson, covering Fort Liard, Fort Providence, and Wrigley
• Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency — based in Behchokǫ̀, covering the four Tłı̨chǫ communities
• Hay River (HRHSSA) — covers Hay River and Enterprise
• Fort Smith (NTHSSA) — regional hub for the South Slave

Your first call should go to the regional office that serves your community, or to the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT (FFCNWT) at 1-866-233-0136, which provides independent support to prospective and current foster parents and can help you navigate the intake process.

The Step-by-Step Pathway

Step 1: Initial contact and information session. You contact your regional social services office or the FFCNWT. A worker will schedule a brief information meeting to explain the process and answer general questions. This is informal — you are not being assessed yet.

Step 2: Application package. You submit the formal application, sign consents for record checks, and provide medical forms. All adults 18 and older in your home must complete these steps. The package includes the NWT Foster Home Application Form, consent for release of information, and authorizations for background screening.

Step 3: Record checks. Three parallel checks happen at this stage. An RCMP Vulnerable Sector Check — more extensive than a standard criminal record check and including pardoned sex offences — is required for every adult in the household. An HSS Child Protection Records Check searches the internal registry for any history of child protection concerns. A physician's medical examination confirms that applicants are physically and mentally fit to care for children.

Step 4: References. Three non-family references must provide written statements about your character and parenting capacity. These are reviewed by the social worker assigned to your home study.

Step 5: The SAFE home study. This is the central phase. A social worker visits your home multiple times and interviews every member of your household. Topics include your own upbringing, your discipline philosophy, your understanding of the residential school system and its ongoing impact, and your willingness to support Indigenous cultural identity in the children placed with you. The physical home is assessed against NWT safety standards — smoke detectors, egress windows in every sleeping room, proper heating and ventilation, and adequate sleeping arrangements for the number of children you are approved to foster.

Step 6: Pre-service training. Concurrent with the home study, you complete the P.R.I.D.E. (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education) curriculum. In remote communities, training is often delivered by video conference or through self-paced online modules via the FFCNWT's Caregiver Classroom platform. First Aid and CPR certification is also required.

Step 7: Administrative review and approval. The social worker compiles a report recommending for or against approval. A supervisor or regional manager reviews the file. If approved, you sign a Foster Home Agreement, an Oath of Confidentiality, and a Caregiver Discipline Agreement.

Your foster home licence is valid for one year and requires annual renewal, including a minimum number of continuing education hours.

What the NWT System Needs Most

Approximately 99% of children in NWT foster care identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis. The system's legal framework — including both the territorial Child and Family Services Act and the federal Bill C-92, which affirms Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services — prioritizes placing children with extended family and within their home communities. When that is not possible, the next priority is placement with an Indigenous family anywhere in the territory. Non-Indigenous families who foster are asked to make a genuine commitment to supporting the child's cultural identity: facilitating connections with Elders and language, providing traditional country food like caribou or char where possible, and supporting participation in land camps and cultural practices.

This is not an afterthought. It is written into every placement agreement, and social workers will ask about it specifically during your home study.

Types of Foster Care Available

Placements fall into several categories depending on the child's situation:

• Emergency care — sudden placements, often overnight, while a longer-term plan is developed
• Short-term care — focused on stabilization and reunification with the family of origin
• Long-term care — for children who cannot return home; provides a permanent sense of family
• Kinship and extended family care — prioritized by law to minimize trauma and maintain cultural ties
• Respite care — weekend or short-interval relief for primary foster families
• Specialized care — for children with significant medical or behavioural needs, requiring additional training

If you want to understand the full scope of what is involved — the complete document checklist, home safety standards, financial structure, and how to navigate the home study when you live in a small community where confidentiality is genuinely difficult — the Northwest Territories Foster Care Guide covers every step in NWT-specific detail.

Realistic Timelines

Most applicants from initial contact to approval are looking at six to twelve months. The pace depends heavily on how quickly record checks return (RCMP checks can take several weeks), how many home study visits are required, and training availability in your region. In remote communities where the community social worker serves multiple roles, the process may stretch toward the longer end of that range.

That timeline is worth it. The children placed in your home have already navigated more uncertainty than most adults ever will. A thorough preparation process means you are genuinely ready for them — not surprised by what comes through your door.

The FFCNWT can connect you with current foster parents in your region who are willing to speak frankly about what the experience is like in your specific community. That peer connection — people who know what a -40°C heating emergency looks like or what it means to be the only foster family in a community of 400 — is often more valuable than any official resource.

If you are ready to take the first step, contact the regional social services office in your area or reach out to the FFCNWT directly. And if you want a comprehensive, NWT-specific guide that covers what the government website does not — including conflict escalation, the real cost-of-living math, and how Indigenous law interacts with territorial law — the Northwest Territories Foster Care Guide was built exactly for this.

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