What is foster care?
Foster care programs provide safe and supportive homes for children when they are unable to live with their own families. In most cases the aim of foster care is to reunite children with their own families, although this is not always possible. In these cases alternative permanent arrangements will be explored.
Children can be in care for any period of time - from overnight to several years - depending on their family circumstances. Foster carers are able to choose the length of care they are willing to provide.
Who are the children or young people who need foster care?
Children in foster care are just like other children except that they are highly likely to have experienced some form of trauma.
Children come into care at all ages, from babies a few days old to teenagers sixteen or seventeen years old. They are from all cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. Foster carers can specify the age of children they are willing to provide care for, as well as if they have a preference for providing care for children of a particular gender, cultural or religious background.
The behaviours of children and young people in care may sometimes be challenging, as many children have suffered some form of abuse, neglect or broken attachment. Foster carers often need to be very patient and committed to helping the children in their care.
How do children enter foster care?
Children generally enter care in one of two ways. The majority of children will have been assessed to be at risk of significant harm by the Department of Human Services and will have been temporarily placed in foster care for their own safety. This may be for a variety of reasons that are not their fault, including abuse, neglect, extreme poverty, homelessness or family breakdown. It is important to note that the reasons for entry to care may not directly be the fault of the child's parents or guardians either - inability to secure work or housing, poor health, disability and social isolation can all be key factors.
A small percentage of children may also enter care because their parent or guardian has signed a voluntary agreement to place their child in care for a short amount of time. This is a way for parents and guardians in the community to voluntarily seek support and assistance with their children in times of family crisis. Families and children receive a thorough assessment prior to acceptance into foster care through this method.
Are siblings kept together in foster care?
In general it is highly desirable to keep siblings together when they enter foster care. However it is often hard to find foster carers who can provide care for sibling groups. Foster carers who can provide this type of care generally receive a higher level of financial and other support for taking on the extra responsibilities inherent in providing care for siblings.
How do foster children attend school?
Upon entering foster care it will be preferable for most children to continue at their existing school. Wherever possible in these cases children are placed with foster carers who live nearby their existing school or preschool.
In most cases foster carers are expected to provide transport to and from a child's school or preschool, although there are exceptions to this rule. If you will have difficulty providing transport for a child in this manner you should speak to the foster care worker completing your assessment to see what other options may be available to you.
What are the different types of care?
Foster carers can apply to provide one or more of the following types of care:
Respite care gives full-time foster carers, parents or guardians a regular break, often for one or two weekends a month, or a week each school holidays. Respite arrangements between parents/guardians and respite foster carers are frequently voluntary, and arrangements are often for a period of six or twelve months.
Emergency foster care is for children who require a placement immediately due to concerns for their safety. Due to the urgency of these placements there is usually very little notice before a child is placed with the foster carer. There is generally additional financial reimbursement provided to foster carers for the initial stages of a placement to allow for costs associated with establishing a child in the home.
Short-term care is for children who may require a placement for a time period from a couple of weeks up to about six months in length. Children requiring short-term care are often able to be reunited with their birth parents or extended family at the end of the foster care placement.
Long-term care is arranged when a child cannot return home for some time, or when that outcome is anticipated. Long-term foster care may cease when a permanent placement is arranged for the child, or when the child reaches adulthood and becomes independent.