Supporting carers to support kids this Foster Care Week
Community support and a better understanding of what’s involved in foster care is top of the wish list for foster carers in a survey carried out by MacKillop Family Services to mark this year’s Foster Care Week (9 – 15 September).
Almost 70 per cent (69.15%) of the 100 carers questioned said that ‘greater understanding within the community about the role of a foster carer and why children come into care’ was the main thing that would support them in their role as foster or kinship carers.
Children and young people enter foster care for lots of different reasons. Many have had difficult experiences such as illness or death of family members. They may have been abused or neglected, because their parents are experiencing drug abuse, in jail, have a mental illness or have an intellectual disability. Other factors could involve domestic and family violence, homelessness or there are children who display risky behaviours and their parents cannot protect them. Some children entering foster care have a disability, emotional or behavioural difficulties, or a mental illness.
Foster and kinship carers make a real difference to vulnerable children by providing stability, support and care. They also support each child’s emotional needs and work as part of team, which could include the child’s parents and other family members, a MacKillop caseworker, a child protection worker and any other health professionals to create a nurturing environment for each child.
Mortgage-broker Andrew Morris, from Warrnambool, has learned a lot about being a foster carer and knows how important it is for foster care families to be integrated in their local communities,
“It’s the usual early morning routine, breakfasting together before dropping six-year-old Lucy* to school. Lucy participates in a range of after-school activities, including football training, gymnastics, school tutor, piano lessons or the after-school program.
“We are trying our best to be the parents that she needs. It’s the moments when you see the child in your care respond or adapt their behaviour to reflect what you’ve been working on together that you’re rewarded tenfold.
“Little by little, you have ‘magic moments’. Lucy is currently rehearsing to be in the school play and she came home and read the whole script by herself. It was only then we realised how far her reading had come and that our efforts were being rewarded,” said Andrew.
MacKillop’s Carer Recruitment Manager, Jasmine Perry, believes Foster Care Week offers a real opportunity for the community to appreciate the importance of foster and kinship care,
“Foster carers tirelessly put the needs of the children and young people they care for first and we can’t thank them enough for the commitment and care they provide every day.
“It’s vital that foster and kinship carers feel valued and supported within the community as each year, the number of children and young people needing foster care grows, and it grows more quickly than we can find people to care for them.
“The issue is that we need more people to think about how they can help kids who need a safe and secure home. There are many different types of foster care and it doesn’t always have to be full-time care, we have a need for emergency, short-term, respite and long-term carers. The important thing is that if you can provide a safe, supportive and nurturing home and care for the wellbeing of children and young people, you can be a foster carer,” Jasmine added.
MacKillop’s survey also asked what motivated people to become foster carers and 91 per cent of carers responded, ‘I wanted to help children in my community who were less fortunate than me/my family’.
Andrew Morris agrees that helping vulnerable kids drives carers to provide nurturing home environments, “You take on foster caring because you have something to give, but don’t think you have to do it on your own. You have a team to back you up. If you can’t do a week, need a weekend away or can’t get your child to an appointment, MacKillop have access to additional support and backup. You don’t need to do it on your own, it’s a team effort and every time you have a little win is just so rewarding, that’s when you know that what you’re doing matters!” said Andrew.
