Ever Thought of Becoming a Foster Carer? Perhaps Now is the Perfect Time

I had the chance to sit down with Rachel Jones from Anglicare’s Orange office to discuss their up-and-coming information session for potential foster carers. The event is hosted by Nashdale Country Women’s Association and is held in Nashdale Hall starting at 7pm on Friday 14th of May.

“It’s really informal. The information will cover the work that Anglicare does, the types of foster care that can be provided. The characteristics of people that make suitable carers, to the needs of children in foster care. We will cover the support systems and training potential foster carers will be provided by Anglicare. Attendees will hear from the day in the life of a foster carer. Hearing from the birth mother whose children were cared for by Anglicare services. There is an opportunity to ask questions at the end and there’s light refreshments as well. This is purely an information session – there’s no obligation to become a foster carer after the event,” explains Rachel.

While Rachel and I continued conversing under the warmth of the autumn sunlight that felt so tranquil, Rachel shares the following, “In the western region, if someone cannot find a foster care placement for a child and/or sibling groups… they end up in motels being looked after by many different youth workers on 12-24hour shifts. The age of these children can range from as young as two years old to ten years of age. Imagine being a two-year-old and you’re living in a motel… children need safety, they need love and normal childhood experiences – everything you get in a home. They get none of that living in a motel that is staffed by carers who are paid to provide that care and are out the door at shift’s end to be replaced by another. This is on repeat. It is very sad, there is an assumption in the community that you just find foster carers but it’s just not the case. And when we can’t find carers – that’s where they go [motels].” After learning about this reality, it certainly felt far removed from the warmth and tranquillity of where Rachel and I sat.

“Sometimes it’s impossible to find a home for these kids,” Rachel admits. With this information session, Anglicare hopes to see anywhere between 30 to 40 people attending the event and to have community members discover they are eligible to be foster carers. “A lot of potential carers automatically disqualify themselves under assumptions of what they need to be, for example, some people may think they need to a homeowner or have full-time employment. Some people think we will not accept same-sax couples, but we do. The best thing to do is get in touch with us and we can answer any questions you have. Many people find out they are very much so suitable to be carers. There are many different types of care people can provide and it’s not always full-time. It can be caring for a young person or siblings over the weekend, a week, a month, a year and so on.”

If you are considering on becoming a foster carer and want to get touch prior to the information session – you can give the Anglicare team a call on (02) 6369 9500.