Foster parent advocacy group says Nova Scotia plans to cut all its funding next year

The organization that has supported Nova Scotia's foster parents for five decades claims the provincial government intends to cut all its funding next year. The Federation of Foster Families Nova Scotia announced that the government had already slashed 52% of its $1.1 million provincial budget in March.

According to the federation, the Opportunities and Social Development Department revealed in June its plan to eliminate the remaining funding in the upcoming fiscal year. While some of the federation's training programs will be transferred to the government, board chair Christopher Higgins expressed concern that these cuts will negatively impact the recruitment of new foster parents.

Higgins is particularly worried about the absence of support for foster parents facing allegations of abuse, which he notes are often found to be without merit. "It will certainly weaken the voice of the (foster) parents, for sure. Whether or not it weakens the whole system, it depends on how they go about training," Higgins stated in an interview.

The department had not immediately responded to a request for comment. The federation has been a key advocate for foster families in Nova Scotia for fifty years, providing training and assistance.

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It will certainly weaken the voice of the (foster) parents, for sure. Whether or not it weakens the whole system, it depends on how they go about training.