Community
Welcome Boxes
The majority of children coming into foster care in Vancouver must wait in an office for 1-2 hours while a social worker calls to find them a suitable placement. This is usually a time of high anxiety for children, as they've recently been removed from their home and are being moved to a new, unknown foster home.
The notion of a Welcome Box is a simple one. While the child is waiting, the social worker gives him/her a box of age-appropriate items to occupy their time while in the office. It is also a box they can carry and take with them into their new foster home. Since many children enter their new foster homes with very few belongings, the psychological importance of owning nice possessions cannot be underestimated.
Here are directions on how to create a Welcome Box.
For more information, or to schedule a drop off time, contact Sarah Desjarlais.