Saskatchewan Foster Families Association: What SFFA Does for Foster Parents

The Saskatchewan Foster Families Association (SFFA) is the organization that most people encounter at some point in the fostering journey, whether through a PRIDE training session, a local support group, or a phone call when a placement gets hard. Understanding what SFFA actually does — and what it doesn't do — helps you use it effectively.

What SFFA Is

SFFA is a non-profit organization that has been operating in Saskatchewan since 1975. It works in partnership with the Ministry of Social Services but is not a government body. That distinction matters: SFFA can be a resource, advocate, and community for foster families in ways that a Ministry office cannot.

Their contact number for prospective foster parents is 1-800-667-7002. This is also the right first call for anyone who wants to explore fostering without immediately triggering a Ministry file.

What SFFA Provides

Training and Education

SFFA plays a direct role in Saskatchewan's PRIDE (Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education) pre-service training. Sessions are often co-delivered by a Ministry worker and an experienced SFFA-connected foster parent, which means prospective caregivers get both the official procedural content and a real-world perspective on what the role involves.

Beyond PRIDE, SFFA runs ongoing education for active foster parents. This includes:

• Annual provincial conference with workshops and speakers
• Specialized training on FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), which affects a significant portion of children in Saskatchewan's care system
• Trauma-informed parenting workshops
• Training on supporting youth who may be at risk of sex trafficking
• Modules on adolescent development and managing complex behaviour

Support Groups

SFFA coordinates regional support groups across Saskatchewan. In Saskatoon and Regina, groups meet regularly and provide a place for foster families to share experiences, troubleshoot placements, and connect with others who understand what the role actually involves. The peer support dimension is significant — the challenges of dealing with a dysregulated child at 2 a.m. or navigating a difficult relationship with a birth parent are things that only other foster parents can fully validate.

For rural foster families, the geographic reality means formal support groups may be less accessible. SFFA has worked to extend support through telephone and online channels for families in smaller communities.

Advocacy

SFFA advocates for foster families at the provincial policy level. This includes lobbying for rate increases, improved training support, and better Ministry responsiveness to foster parent concerns. The SFFA Advisor newsletter (published three times per year) covers policy developments, PRIDE Levels of Pay changes, and legislative updates that directly affect caregivers.

It was SFFA that helped push the 2024 Ministry investment in increased babysitting, respite, and school allowances — areas where foster families had consistently identified gaps.

Respite Care Coordination

Respite — short-term relief care for foster parents — is available through the Ministry but often difficult to access quickly. SFFA helps connect foster families with approved respite providers and advocates for expanded funding when the Ministry's respite allocations fall short. For families caring for children with significant needs, respite is not a luxury; it's what prevents placement breakdown.

Initial Contact Point for Prospective Parents

SFFA provides an information package to anyone considering foster care. Calling SFFA before contacting the Ministry directly gives prospective parents a chance to ask questions, understand what to expect, and make a more informed decision about whether and how to proceed — without yet creating a Ministry application file.

What SFFA Is Not

Because SFFA works in partnership with the Ministry, there are limits to what they can do. They are not an independent ombudsman. If you have a serious complaint about Ministry handling of your case — placement decisions, caseworker conduct, financial disputes — the formal channel is the Office of the Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth (1-800-667-4448), which operates independently from both the Ministry and SFFA.

SFFA is also not a placement agency. They don't match children with foster families. That function stays with Ministry placement coordinators and First Nations delegated agencies.

Connecting with SFFA in Saskatoon and Regina

For Saskatoon-based families, SFFA's support infrastructure is most visible. The Saskatoon Tribal Council Health & Family Services also operates a parallel support system for foster families whose placements are managed through that agency, including culturally specific resources. If your placement involves a First Nations agency, that agency may have its own family support workers in addition to SFFA.

In Regina, SFFA connects caregivers to the Ministry's central service centre while also running its own regional support programming. The SFFA Advisor newsletter, available through their website, covers rate updates, training schedules, and policy changes that affect foster families province-wide.

The SFFA Advisor Newsletter

Published three times a year, the SFFA Advisor is one of the most useful resources for staying current on changes that affect foster families directly. Past issues have covered:

• PRIDE Levels of Pay phase rollouts and what they mean for earnings
• Policy updates following the 2024 amendments to the Child and Family Services Act (which expanded the definition of "child" to under 18)
• Practical guidance on leaving foster children home alone, managing youth transitions out of care, and supporting birth family relationships
• Perspectives from experienced foster parents on navigating the Ministry's workload challenges

The newsletter reflects the kind of honest, practical information that SFFA provides precisely because it sits slightly outside the Ministry — close enough to be credible, independent enough to name what's actually difficult.

Why SFFA Exists (and What It Tells You About the System)

The fact that SFFA has been running since 1975 says something about the Saskatchewan foster care system: it has always required a support organization to exist alongside the Ministry because the Ministry alone has never been enough. Social worker caseloads are heavy. Regional offices are stretched. A family that gets a placement and then struggles to reach their caseworker for three days in a crisis has somewhere to turn — SFFA.

That's not a criticism of the Ministry; it's a description of how the system is designed to function. SFFA fills the human and peer support gap that a government bureaucracy structurally cannot fill.

Getting the Broader Picture

SFFA is a valuable part of the support ecosystem, but it's one piece of a larger system. The Saskatchewan Foster Care Guide covers how SFFA's role fits alongside the Ministry, First Nations agencies, and the broader legislative framework — including the annual licence renewal process, PRIDE Levels of Pay, and how to access supplementary allowances for the children in your care.

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