Host Families  are part of Safe Families Canada’s Circle of Support model and see their participation as a way of living out the compassion of Christ by caring for the hurting.  With this mindset, volunteer Host Families are able to bring the healing dynamic of Christian love to children and families in crisis. They can love the children placed in their care and to embrace them as a part of their family.

Safe Families Canada recruits, assesses, screens and approves the most competent and effective families to care for the needs of children. Host Families go through a rigorous onboarding process that includes police checks, third party references, and a home study assessment. They receive training and serve without compensation.

Steps to Becoming a Host Family:

Given the high level of trust and liability involved in caring for a child from another family, the process of being authorized to serve as a Host Family involves successfully undergoing a detailed screening process conducted by trained staff in a confidential manner.

1. Contact Form: Fill in our contact form, found here, and indicate your interest in becoming a Host Family. We will then send you a Home Study Assesment application to fill out, and the Host Family Handbook. Once your application is complete, please return it to info@safefamilies.ca. 

2. Police Background Check & Letters of Reference: Upon receiving your application, you will be required to complete a background check and a Letter of Reference form, to be filled out by three referees. 

3. Training: At this point, you will be set up with a login for the Safe Families database, where you will complete the online training videos.

4. Home Study: After all the above steps are complete, we will contact you to set up a time for a home visit. This visit gives us an opportunity to get acquainted and also allow our staff to visually confirm that your home is a safe place. 

Once your clearance is complete, you will be contacted by your local Safe Families office when a child needs help.