In short, your experiences and voice matter to us. Starlings Community’s goal is to strengthen the community of support around young people who are growing up with the stress and stigma of a parent’s substance use. One way we do this is by providing resources and support to family /kinship caregivers, and professionals. As the need for these resources and supports grows in Calgary, we want to hear from family/kinship caregivers, natural supports, and professionals to ensure what we offer in Calgary meets the needs of families.

After the roundtable, a member of our team will confirm your email address and send your 50.00$ CAD via e-transfer. We will make every effort to send this within 72 hours after the event. If e-transfer does not work for you, just let us know and we will find an alternative.

Participation in this project is 100% voluntary. This means you decide how and if you participate. No individual information, including names or other identifying information will be reported or included in any of the findings, reports, or toolkits.

The discussion will be co-facilitated by peer leaders from Starling’s - individuals with lived experience of parental substance use and caregiving - and by team members from Habitus Collective, who bring expertise in community-based research and facilitation.

Not at all. Whether or not you choose to participate will not impact your access to Starlings programs or supports in any way. Your decision will be respected, and it will not affect any current or future involvement with us.

We will try our absolute best to provide any needed accommodations. Please let us know what we can do to make the space more accessible and comfortable. We will stay in touch to confirm what is possible.

We will have a general conversation about what has helped you in caregiving for a young person, what has made it more difficult, and what do you need? You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable, and if you do not want to contribute to a topic that gets brought up, you do not have to. Questions might include: what has been your experience in caregiving for a young person? Do you feel you have what you need, or what is missing? What resources information, and tools would be helpful?

We are grateful to the City of Calgary for funding this project through the Community Capacity Building Grant.

Starlings Community and Habitus Collective are joining together to understand what strengths, barriers, and opportunities exist for foster parents, kinship caregivers, and professionals who care for youth impacted by parental addiction, within the Calgary & area context. The goal of this project is to create resources and tools to better support YOU, and other caregivers/natural supports.

Yes! Snacks and light refreshments will be available during the event as well as childcare.

There’s nothing you need to prepare in advance. We will provide you with a short consent form for you to review once you are registered. You’re welcome to sign and return it before the event, or bring it with you on the day of the session, whichever is easier. If you'd prefer to go through it together, we're happy to set up a one-on-one conversation.

That is completely okay. There is no pressure to share anything that you are not comfortable with. You are always in control of what you choose to contribute

Yes! If you live in Calgary, we can cover the cost of public transit or parking. The roundtable location is near the University of Calgary and easily accessible by transit. We’ll provide the full address after registration. If you are not in the City of Calgary, but in the surrounding area with limited access to transit, please email taciat@starlings.ca so we can see how we can support travel arrangements.

A roundtable discussion is a small, informal conversation where everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences in a respectful and supportive space. There’s no formal presentation—just open dialogue, guided by facilitators to help keep things flowing and ensure all voices are heard.

We will review all the information provided and create a toolkit that will be shared with all participants. We will also develop a report of all the voices and stories shared that will help us advocate and create more support for caregivers and the youth they care for.