About Fosterhub.ca


Fosterhub.ca was created specifically for those providing foster care and other caregiving services in the Vancouver Coastal Region, such as foster parents, out of care providers and social workers.

As the name suggests, Fosterhub.ca is focussed on providing a central hub where foster parents and others can access up to date information on support services, training, events, resources and much more. We hope you find this site useful.

We welcome your ideas, or feedback about the site.

This Month's Feature:

September 09th is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day 

This month we are highlighting FASD in honor of awareness, support and prevention.

Allison Pooley, Family and Community Support Coordinator with The Asante Centre for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is answering YOUR questions about FASD. Please email your questions to: hfiddes@fsgv.ca. 

Questions that are relevant to other families as well may be responded to and posted on the Hub website (though will remain anonymous). We look forward to hearing from you!

Allison has also  been kind enough to put some information together so that we can learn about the Asante Centre.

What is FASD Awareness Day?

At 9:09 a.m. on September 9th, 1999, the bells started ringing in Auckland New Zealand to raise awareness and create understanding of FASD.  The event marked the first ever International FASD Awareness Day, continuing across countries and eventually reaching every time zone in both Canada and the United States.  Selecting this time and day as a reminder to families to remain alcohol free during the nine months of a healthy pregnancy, Bonnie Buxton, her daughter Colette, and many tireless supporters established an event that is recognized across countries, cultures and languages.  What began as the ringing of bells at 9:09 that first morning has helped generate awareness of FASD as the leading preventable cause of mental disability in the western world, and snowballed as communities continue to find new ways to commemorate the significance of September 9th. 

FASD Awareness Day has now grown to include a full month of awareness campaigns throughout September, another indicator of how much attention the disorder and affected families deserve.  Though there are many challenges to yet be faced, Canadians can celebrate the increasing acknowledgment across systems that have begun to recognize the profound impact of FASD.  Research is providing new knowledge on prenatal alcohol exposure for prevention efforts, methods for assessment and diagnosis, as well as new strategies to support affected individuals.   Professionals and service providers are taking advantage of training opportunities to better work with families, and we are starting to see changes in schools, courts and social services.  What began as the oscillation of butterfly wings has begun making ripples.
 
This year the Asante Centre has partnered with the Ridge Meadows Child Development Centre to acknowledge FASD as a community concern by hosting a public celebration in Maple Ridge for anyone interested in learning more about how alcohol can affect a developing fetus.  If you are interested, visit us at Haney Place Mall between 1:00 and 3:30 pm.
 
What does the Asante Centre do?
The Asante Centre is primarily a diagnosis, assessment and family support centre for children, youth and adults who are suspected of having Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), though we also complete assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Complex Children and Youth (CCY). Assessments for FASD use a multidisciplinary team approach, including medical, psychological, and speech and language components. Together with its philosophy of working in partnership with families and recognizing the value of their experience in understanding and planning for their child’s or adult’s future, coordinated care plans are implemented for the best management of the individual’s disability. Families and other support persons are invited to participate throughout the assessment process.

What’s in a name?
The Asante Centre was named after Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Asante. A paediatrician and Medical Director for the Centre, Dr. Asante was one of the first doctors to diagnose Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Canada in the 1970s, and was the first Canadian to publish on the topic. He has grown up professionally in the field, working with families affected by FASD in rural BC for several decades and later in the Lower Mainland. The Asante Centre proudly holds his name in respect, and embodies his dedication both to the prevention of FASD, and finding the best ways to support children, youth and adults living with the disorder.

Who does the Asante Centre serve?                                                                                                                                                                                                           The Asante Centre is located in Maple Ridge, BC, but in actuality serves a much larger region. While most individuals who come for assessment and diagnosis live within the Lower Mainland, others have travelled from around the province and from as far as Nunavut to access services. Our Family and Community Support Coordinator fields many information and support inquiries both locally and nationally. The Asante Centre has earned international recognition as a leader in assessment, prevention and assessment of FASD, and senior staff members have been invited to present in Europe, New Zealand, Africa and Cuba.

Keep reading about the Asante Centre & other FASD resources and seminars here: http://www.fosterhub.ca/monthly-feature/