Support for carers
Foster carers have planned visits and phone contact from caseworkers who provide ongoing support and assistance when they have a placement. Foster care providers also run training courses to assist accredited foster carers maintain skills and develop new ones. There is also round the clock phone support available for foster carers who currently have a placement.
To assist with the financial costs associated with providing care for someone else's child the Victorian Government provides foster carers with a fortnightly tax-exempt allowance which contributes to the cost of providing food, clothing, accommodation and other day-to-day care requirements. Reimbursement rates increase significantly for foster carers providing care for children with more complex needs.
Carers may also be eligible to receive additional payments from the Federal Government such as the Family Tax Benefit or the Parenting Payment, as well as other one-off payments to cover the cost of irregular expenses such as medical appointments or school camps.
There are many carer support groups operating around Victoria which are run by foster carers for foster carers. Once you are accredited you can ask your foster care worker to give you the details of local groups. Your foster care provider may also provide you with this information during training.
All Victorian foster carers are also eligible to become members of the Foster Care Association of Victoria free of charge. The FCAV provides free training, advice and support to members and the general public. To apply for membership please visit www.fcav.org.au