Southland: Foster Care

BECOMING A FOSTER PARENT: MAKING A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER

Foster care is providing care for children and young people (0-17 years) in your home when their parents or extended family are not able to care for them.

WHAT TYPE OF CARE IS NEEDED?

• Short-term

• Emergency

• Respite

• Long-term

WHO CAN FOSTER?

• Foster carers are people who relate well to children

• Foster carers have a  range of personal qualities and living situations

• Foster carers have the ability and commitment to meet children's needs

• Foster carers may be married, de facto or single

• Foster carers need not have any religious affiliation

WHAT THEY SAY

Birth Parent:
"Eventually I stopped feeling guilty that I needed to put the children in foster care with Family Works. The foster parents made me feel welcome and praised me for what good parenting I was doing, and then I realised I am a good parent but I needed this help."

Foster Parent:
"Each child comes with a different story. The biggest reward is to see the children  blossom and grow in confidence."

Adult Foster Child:
"They made me feel welcome; they gave me space, they were sensitive to what I needed."

WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?

• Foster care is providing alternative family care for children (0-17 years) for a planned period of time, when their parents or extended family are not able to care for them. These children are cared for in the foster parents' home. Links are maintained between children and their families during the period of foster care

• Foster care provided by Family Works is generally short-term (varying from an overnight stay to a period of up to two months). Occasionally, long-term care may be necessary

• Some foster parents provide care in times of emergency only; others are for children on a short-term but regular basis; and some provide care for longer periods of times

• Foster care is not adoption. The vast majority of children in care do not need a permanent family:  they are children who need care for a planned period of time

WHAT QUALITIES DO FOSTER PARENTS NEED?

• Foster parents are everyday members of the community with a strong commitment to helping others,  especially children

• Patience, understanding and a willingness to accept someone else's child into the family are essential qualities for fostering

• Fostering is challenging and demanding so it is important that foster parents are not experiencing significant personal or family problems

• Our service needs a variety of foster parents where there are a range of personal qualities and living situations to suit the varying needs of children in care

• Foster parents may be male, female, single, de facto/married, with or without children. We need people who relate well to children and who have the commitment and ability to meet children's needs

WHY DO CHILDREN NEED TO BE FOSTERED?

Children may need to be cared for away from home for many reasons but in all cases there are issues relating to their care and protection:

• Their family may be under stress

• Their family may be experiencing a financial or emotional crisis

• There may be illness in their family

• The parents may not be managing their children's behaviour

• There may be serious differences between family members

• The child may have been harmed or is at risk of being harmed

Sometimes the families of children in care may lack the usual supports and resources that would enable them to continue to care for their children during a crisis. Family Works, together with families, work to resolve their difficulties, and the decision to place a child away from home is always considered carefully.

WHAT SUPPORT IS THERE FOR THE FOSTER FAMILY?

When children are placed in foster care, Family Works:

• provides ongoing support by trained staff

• provides ongoing training opportunities for foster parents

• provides a link to the Southland Foster care Association

• ensures that the child's reasonable expenses are met while in your care

• advocacy, advice and information about fostering, regular newsletter

TO FIND OUT MORE CONTACT:
FAMILY WORKS