Types of Foster Care Placements in Quebec: Emergency, Specialized, and More

When people think about becoming foster parents, they often picture a single type of situation: a child placed in your home for an extended period while their biological family situation resolves. In Quebec, that scenario exists — but it is one of several distinct placement categories, each with different timelines, expectations, levels of difficulty, and compensation structures. Knowing what each type involves helps you decide what you are genuinely prepared to offer.

All placements in Quebec are managed through the regional DPJ (Directeur de la protection de la jeunesse) at your local CISSS or CIUSSS. The terminology in Quebec differs from what you will encounter in Ontario or BC resources: foster families are called familles d'accueil and are formally categorized as ressources de type familial (RTF).

Regular Foster Care (Famille d'accueil régulière)

Regular foster care is the standard placement type. A child whose safety or development has been compromised under the Youth Protection Act (LPJ) is placed in a recognized foster home while the DPJ works toward the stated goal — usually reunification with the biological family after the family has addressed the conditions that led to intervention.

Regular placements range from short-term (a few weeks while a parent completes a program) to long-term (years, if reunification is repeatedly delayed or ruled out). The key feature of regular placement is that the goal is presumptively temporary — the child's Plan d'intervention (PI) will articulate a timeline and milestones for the biological family.

Basic daily compensation rates for regular placement run from $26.47 per day for young children to $41.22 per day for teenagers (2026 rates), plus the daily forfaitaire and personal expense allowance.

Emergency Foster Care (Urgence DPJ)

Emergency placements occur when the DPJ needs to remove a child from immediate danger before a regular placement can be arranged. These placements are typically short — 48 hours to 30 days — and are activated with little or no advance notice. A call may come at 10 pm asking whether you can take a child tonight.

Emergency foster families serve a critical function in the system because the DPJ cannot always predict when a crisis will occur or find an available placement within the child's community on short notice. Not all recognized foster families are approved for emergency placements — this requires a specific discussion with your institution about your capacity to absorb unplanned, short-notice calls.

If you are approved for emergency care, expect: irregular hours, children who may arrive with few personal belongings and incomplete medical or school records, and rapid transitions as the DPJ works to arrange a more stable placement. The compensation structure is the same as regular foster care, though the short duration of emergency placements means the financial impact of any single placement is modest.

Mixed Bank Placements (Banque mixte)

The banque mixte (mixed bank) program is for children who are assessed from the outset as having a high probability of never returning to their biological family. Families who enter the program are explicitly aware that adoption is the likely outcome. Mixed bank families undergo a dual evaluation that assesses both their suitability as foster parents and their readiness for adoption.

The legal status of a mixed bank placement is initially identical to any foster placement — the foster family is a famille d'accueil, not an adoptive parent, until the court formally declares the child eligible for adoption and issues a placement order for adoption. Biological parents retain their legal rights until a court strips them. This is an important tension that mixed bank families must understand: you may be emotionally prepared to adopt while the legal process is still unfolding.

For a detailed explanation of the banque mixte process, see the existing post Banque Mixte Quebec: The Foster-to-Adopt Program Explained.

Kinship and Proximity Placements (Famille d'accueil de proximité)

When a child must leave their home, the DPJ's first preference under the LPJ is to place the child with someone they know — a grandparent, aunt, uncle, family friend, or neighbour. This is called placement chez une personne significative (placement with a significant person) or famille d'accueil de proximité (proximity foster family).

Proximity placements follow the same recognition process as regular foster care, with a specific evaluation track for kinship situations. The evaluator assesses the nature of the existing relationship, whether placing the child with this person truly serves the child's interests, and whether the relative can maintain appropriate boundaries with the biological family.

Kinship placements are often the least disruptive for the child — they preserve community ties, cultural connections, language, and existing relationships. They can also be the most complicated for the caregiver, who must navigate the dual role of family member and DPJ-recognized resource.

Specialized Foster Care (Placement spécialisé / Réadaptation)

Specialized foster care is for children with significant behavioral, psychological, or medical challenges that exceed the capacity of regular foster homes. This category includes:

• Children with serious mental health diagnoses who require therapeutic interventions as part of daily care
• Children with complex medical needs (feeding disorders, seizure management, medication protocols)
• Children with severe developmental disabilities or autism spectrum disorder requiring intensive support
• Adolescents with histories of violence, substance use, or extensive placement breakdowns

Specialized placements command the highest supplement rates in the compensation structure: up to $20.36 per day above the base rate for rehabilitation-level placements. This reflects the additional training required and the greater demands on the foster family's time and capacity.

Foster families who take on specialized placements typically must complete additional training specific to the child's presenting needs before or shortly after the placement begins. They also receive enhanced DPJ support — more frequent PI reviews, priority access to respite services, and in some cases a resource caseworker who provides specialized clinical backup.

Therapeutic Foster Care (Soins et garde en famille d'accueil thérapeutique)

Therapeutic foster care sits at the intersection of clinical treatment and family placement. It is appropriate for children who require ongoing therapeutic intervention as part of daily life — not just case management, but active therapeutic work by the caregiver.

In Quebec, this type of care is classified within the specialized placement framework. Foster parents providing therapeutic care are expected to have received specific training in trauma-informed practice and to be able to implement therapeutic strategies developed by the child's clinical team. The social worker and the foster parent work collaboratively to execute elements of the child's clinical plan.

Not all regions have robust therapeutic foster care capacity. In areas where these placements exist, they are typically reserved for children who would otherwise require group home or residential care — making a foster family placement a significantly better outcome for the child even if the demands are high.

Choosing Your Placement Type

When you go through the recognition process, you will have a conversation with your evaluating social worker about what type of child and what type of placement your household can genuinely support. This is not a pass-fail question. It is a matching exercise.

A family with young biological children, limited experience with trauma, and a preference for building long-term relationships is better suited to regular or kinship placements of younger children. A couple with clinical backgrounds, empty nests, and high resilience may be well positioned for specialized or therapeutic placements. Emergency care suits households with flexible schedules and the emotional bandwidth for short-notice, high-intensity situations.

Being honest about your capacity does not limit you permanently. Your recognition profile can be expanded over time as you gain experience and complete additional training.

For a complete guide to the placement process in Quebec — including how the DPJ matches children to foster homes, what your rights are during a placement, and how to handle difficult transitions — visit the Quebec Foster Care Guide.

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