Suite 211, 200 Carnegie Drive, St. Albert, AB T8N 5A8

SAFE Home Assessment Program

Guided Path Home Assessment Program

Our Home Assessment Program (HAP) is a comprehensive service designed to support individuals and families on their journey to becoming caregivers for children and youth in need. We specialize in providing detailed Home Study Reports (HSRs) that are crucial for those looking to engage in foster care, guardianship, kinship care, or adoption processes.

The HAP is tailored to meet the unique needs of each applicant, ensuring a thorough evaluation that considers all aspects of caregiving readiness. Our process is designed to be supportive, insightful, and transparent, helping potential caregivers understand their strengths and areas for growth as they prepare to welcome a child into their home.

The HSR will provide a recommendation on the applicant family’s willingness, readiness, and ability to effectively parent.

Our Team

At Guided Path, we believe in the power of collaboration and expertise. Our team consists of:

  • Experienced Writers: Our HSR writers come from diverse backgrounds including health, education, and social services. This variety of perspectives enriches our assessments and allows for a more comprehensive evaluation.
  • Qualified Supervisors: To ensure the highest quality of service, our supervisors oversee the HSR process, providing guidance, quality control, and additional insights.
  • SAFE-Trained Professionals: All our HSR writers have received specialized training in the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) methodology from the Consortium for Children. This internationally recognized approach ensures our assessments are thorough, standardized, and effective.
  • Collaborative Partners: We work closely with various professionals who are currently supporting the child or youth in question. This may include social workers, therapists, educators, and medical professionals, ensuring a holistic view of the child’s needs and the family’s readiness.

Our team’s diverse backgrounds and commitment to ongoing training allow us to offer culturally sensitive assessments that recognize and respect the unique aspects of each family’s situation. We value diversity and inclusion, ensuring that our evaluations are free from bias and truly reflective of each applicant’s potential as a caregiver.

The collaborative nature of our team extends to our relationship with applicants. We strive to make the home study process as comfortable and constructive as possible, viewing it as an opportunity for mutual learning and preparation for the important role of caregiving.

Our Reports

We offer culturally sensitive and timely reports throughout Alberta, including:

  • Private Guardianship
  • Foster Care
  • Kinship Care
  • Adoption (including child-specific and international)

Each report is crafted with attention to detail and cultural sensitivity, providing a clear, accurate, and fair assessment of the applicant’s ability to provide a safe and nurturing home for a child.

Our Services

To support the diverse needs of our clients, we offer:

  • Home Study Reports (HSRs): Comprehensive evaluations of applicants’ suitability for caregiving.
  • HSR Addendums: Updates to existing reports as needed.
  • Documentation Collection (Added-HSR): Assistance in gathering necessary documentation.
  • HSR Supervision: Professional oversight for writers without access to supervisors.
  • Virtual Services: Remote options for clients in distant locations.

Our Approach

Our Home Study Reports evaluate three key areas:

  1. Willingness to Parent: Assessing motivation and commitment.
  2. Readiness for Caregiving: Evaluating lifestyle and support systems.
  3. Ability to Parent Effectively: Examining parenting skills and understanding of child development.

We pride ourselves on our diverse staff backgrounds, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and cultural awareness in our assessments. Our goal is to not only evaluate but also to educate and prepare families for their caregiving journey, ensuring children are placed in safe, loving homes with well-prepared caregivers.

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