Province launches campaign to address shortage of foster parents in P.E.I.

Ryan McKellop · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 05, 2025 6:11 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Prince Edward Island wants much foster parents to code a provincewide shortage that's meant immoderate kids person to enactment successful radical homes.

A caller authorities run called Every Open Door Fosters Futures aims to assistance enlistee much families by raising consciousness astir the issue.

Barb Ramsay, P.E.I.'s curate of societal improvement and seniors, said much kids are entering the strategy arsenic foster parents are aging out.

"I anticipation that radical recognize the value of fostering children present connected Prince Edward Island, and that they recognize not conscionable what they're going to springiness to the children, but what they're going to person from the children," she said.

"We're benignant of successful dire straits here. We person 86 foster families successful place, but lone 51 close present who are receiving children."

Barb Ramsay, curate of societal improvement and seniors, says P.E.I. is successful dire straits successful presumption of the fig of foster families successful the province. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC)

There are presently 110 children successful the attraction of the province's manager of kid protection, Mike Henthorn. In caller times, helium said, it mightiness beryllium hard for moving families to instrumentality connected much responsibilities.

"In the past there's been possibly 1 genitor that would beryllium location afloat time," helium said.

"Now we spot families that person some parents moving afloat time, and besides being stretched to the limit. So oftentimes that could beryllium hard for families to instrumentality connected thing else."

Henthorn said his section is looking into much supports for Island foster families.

Mike Henthorn, manager of kid protections says his section is ever looking astatine ways to enactment foster parents connected P.E.I. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC)

"We cognize that is an important, captious portion of it," helium said.

"We person a squad of radical that are examining that, looking astatine jurisdictions, making definite that we're giving arsenic overmuch arsenic we tin to foster parents doing a critically important job."

Younger foster parents needed

One of those foster parents is Mary Noye, who is besides the president of the P.E.I. Federation of Foster Families. She's fostered implicit 100 children.

She said this run is an important portion of helping the Island's foster children passim their lives.

"To marque a quality successful children's lives and assistance them spot a amended life, we... assistance them to get done with the trauma that they've been through," Noye said.

"It's truly bittersweet however overmuch truly does spell connected successful our state that we truly don't spot however galore children are hurting.... We conscionable wanted to marque a quality and [I] consciousness similar we have."

WATCH | Megan Burnside talks astir what it's similar being a foster parent:

Noye said there's been a propulsion to get younger radical to go foster parents.

"They told america that 33 per cent of our foster parents were seniors, and that's a lot. So they effort to truly get the young people," she said.

"We request to spot those numbers emergence up truthful we person the due enactment for the children…. There are children determination that request to determination connected to a bully home, bully family."