NSW Carer Recruitment and Development Manager, Jade Carey, has worked for MacKillop Family Services for almost two and a half years. Jade tells us what her role involves and why she loves being part of a team that supports foster carers to do the amazing work they do.
Why did you join MacKillop Family Services?
I’ve worked in Out of Home Care for a long time in many different roles. I’ve worked with FACS and in the field of adoptions as well as in foster care recruitment. My passion is working with foster carers and supporting carers, so I was thrilled when I saw a Carer Recruitment and Development Worker role advertised with MacKillop.
I knew MacKillop as an organisation that puts children and young people first and when I came to meet the team, I felt I would fit in well. Then I learned how the Sanctuary program is embraced by everyone at MacKillop and I feel it influences our overview of the work we do. I like being part of a team where everyone has a deep respect for the people we work with.
What does a typical day in Carer Recruitment and Development look like?
There’s no such thing as a typical day, which is one of the best things about my job. I work across four sites in NSW in an area that stretches from Eden in the South up to Tweed, so quite a lot of time is spent out and about, checking in with our coordinators about training, recruitment and finding ways to support our carers.
There is always a need for more foster carers so a lot of our work is around recruitment and trying to make contact with people who could provide safe homes for vulnerable young people. It can be a slow process as we understand that people need time to make the commitment to care for kids and our job is to answer questions and support them along their journey to becoming a carer.
What is the best thing about your role?
I am always inspired by our amazing carers. Even on days when we face challenges and are struggling to make placements, I’ll talk to carers who go above and beyond to help us make sure that children are in safe homes.
It is also a privilege to be part of a carer’s development. Often, people are very nervous when they are going through training or anxious about their first placement and it is great to see how they grow in confidence, relax and enjoy caring for the children they look after.
I love it when I see carers who were once apprehensive about their own abilities become advocates for foster care and give practical advice to new carers.
Tell us about the challenges of your role?
Finding new carers for new programs is the number one challenge we face. As well as a critical shortage of carers generally, some of our programs need carers who are experienced in dealing with children and young people who have complex needs and who can commit to full-time care.
We find that word of mouth is one of the best ways to find the right people. That’s why we are so grateful when our carers talk to their friends and family about what they do. Often it inspires others to become carers and these people approach foster care with a realistic view of what is involved.
How do you relax when not working?
My three-year-old tabby cat, Albert, takes up most of my free time. He is a real character and helps me unwind from the stress of work. I have also moved to Wollongong and it’s great to be close to my family and I love to spend time with my nieces and nephews and friends.
Work requires me to spend so much of my time travelling, that I enjoy just chilling with family and friends and wandering around our local shops and markets at the weekend.