Foster
Care.
By Tony Briffa
As some of you may know, I have
been a foster parent for the last 4 years and have a 9-year-old child currently
in my full-time care. A few support group members have asked for more information
on foster care, so I thought I would include some information in dAISy and the
website.
Foster care is not like adoption; its main aim is to reunite
children with their families. It is
therefore very important for these children to have regular contact with their
own biological families. Foster
families need to be able to share the children with their biological families
and help them understand why they are unable to live at home.
Ways children and their families can keep in contact include telephone
calls and letters.
It is important for children in care to have their parents
play a continuing role in their lives. This
is especially important in working toward the time when the child returns home
and the family is reunited. One of
the foster carer's roles as part of the team is to help maintain contact between
children and their parents.
Training
Training of foster carers is essential so issues and concerns affecting the
child, the family and the carers are shared and understood by all members of the
team. Training is usually provided
by the Foster Care organisation the carer goes through.
Supports for Carers
Always remember that there is a lot of support offered in sharing the care of
the child. This involves the foster
care agency, and sometime the Department of Human Services and the biological
family. Carers are not expected to
know all the answers about foster care, which is why ongoing support is
necessary for all foster carers.
Types of foster care
There are many different categories to describe the types of foster care. They
include:
 | Emergency
foster care Placements should not exceed 28 days. |
| Temporary
foster care You may hear the words 'temporary care' used instead of short or long term care because of the difficulty of putting a time on some placements. |
| Short
term foster care Placements from 28 days to three or six months. |
| Long
term foster care Can be up to two years or longer. Some children may find themselves in foster care longer than this. Children can be placed back with their family even after very long periods in care. |
| Permanent
Care Guardianship of the Child is given to the Foster Carer(s). |
Who can be a foster family?
All sorts of people
in many different types of relationships can be foster parents.
Both 'traditional' and 'non traditional' families may foster with great
success. Families may be:
| one
adult |
| two
adults |
| living
in own home |
| rented
home |
| having
children |
| not
having children |
| unemployed
adults |
| employed
adults. |
| gay/lesbian/transgender
adults. |
One essential quality for all foster carers however, is to be
willing to help and care for children and to be able to move on when the child
goes back to their biological family.
All family members
are involved in fostering and it is important to think about your values and
what feels right for you and your family.
My Experiences
I won’t dare suggest that foster care is for everyone, or
that it is easy work, but it can be very rewarding.
The most difficult experiences I have had have involved children
returning to their families, or not having the legal rights as a “normal”
parent. Having said that, it has given my family and I an opportunity
to help a child and their family, and has given me the opportunity to be a
parent; something I am not able to
do naturally.
For more information on foster care, please contact:
·
Foster Care Information Line NSW 1800 013 088
·
Foster Care Association of WA Inc:
(08) 9388 1911, or 1800 641 911, email admin@fcawa.com.au
·
Foster Care Information Line NSW 1800 629 628
with
questions or comments about this web site.