Programs and services

We are committed to ongoing growth and change for children and families by providing services to our clients in a compassionate, respectful, and supportive manner.

Moms and Tots: The Moms and Tots Program targets families where risk of or incidence of abuse and neglect have been identified through child protection assessment tools. Supportive services can also be accessed by families voluntarily from our local community. Given that the primary focus of intervention offered by the larger Agency is child protection in nature, the services offered through Moms and Tots and group programming are specifically aimed at reducing risk by providing information education, supporting permanency plans, strengthening attachments and establishing ongoing informal support mechanisms.

The vision of the Moms and Tots Program is to provide each child and youth with a permanent safe and nurturing home. The program plays an integral role in assisting parents to develop skills to build and strengthen their relationships with their children and an opportunity to demonstrate these new abilities. The Moms and Tots program is unique in that programming addresses risk as it relates to standards and intervention models outlined by child welfare legislation while also providing education, improving parenting practices and offering parenting support.

Mother's Mentoring Mothers: Formerly Mother's Relief
This program services parents of children ages 0-6 years who have custody of their children and have completed other moms and tots programs. It is specifically targeted to service families who have demonstrated a decreased level of risk. However, they still require ongoing support as they consistently demonstrate increased parenting capacity which ultimately achieves the goal of risk reduction. The program services parents who have self referred, or have identified a need for ongoing support and education. Agency protection staff may also refer. This voluntary program is available to parents for a period of a year, bi-weekly for three hours. The curriculum is client directed. Topics include: life skills, parenting information, community supports, legal issues, sexual health, child development and nutrition, and basic CPR training.
Group members have also shared around issues with reintegrating their children from foster care, ongoing involvement with foster families as supports, guilt and grief associated with the loss of children to adoption, addictions, and co-dependency.

Family Support Program-In Home Services: In Home Services provides one-on-one in-home support and education for families with children up to age 15 who are in need of protection, or where the child is already in the Agency's care and the family is working towards reunification. Services are provided from a Strengths Based Model. A working agreement between the agency social worker, the family support worker and the client is custom-tailored to the needs of each family. Clients are referred from the child protection staff at FACS-Elgin.

Learning Education and Parenting

Parent and Teen Conflict

Children who witness women abuse

Victims of sexual abuse

Lunch program

Foster Care Services
The Foster Care program includes the recruitment, screening, training, support and utilization of families to provide care to children who can no longer live with their own family. Most children are placed in foster homes temporarily, ranging from a few days to several months, while other services are provided to help a family through a crisis and make the home safe for the child's return. However, some children cannot return home, and are provided with care and support until they are independent adults.

Adoption Services
FACS-Elgin is a leading proponent of child-centred adoption programs.

While other agencies act on the behalf of parents looking to adopt children, FACS-Elgin acts on behalf of children looking to adopt suitable families. Concurrent planning minimizes change for children who become available for adoption by supporting foster parents in adopting foster children.

Since most of our adoption placements are completed in this fashion, becoming a foster parent with FACS-Elgin is your best chance of successfully adopting a child in need.

Adoption Disclosure Services
Information, counselling, and referral services are available to adult adoptees and their birth family members who wish to learn about or re-establish contact with someone separated by adoption. Persons may seek non-identifying information such as social or medical history, or may request to meet a birth child or parent. Persons can expect a waiting period for these services except for emergencies.