Occasional foster care has a life-changing impact
Megan George, Head of Out of Home Care, CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manningn reflects on the need for more foster carers, as we celebrate our wonderful carers this Foster Care Week.
Foster Care Week is a time to celebrate the people across our community who open their homes and hearts to children and young people in need.
This week we should also acknowledge that there is an ongoing challenge across Newcastle and the Hunter. We urgently need more foster carers.
The words "foster care" can be intimidating. People might imagine a life-long commitment or becoming a full-time parent overnight.
For some carers, that is the unwavering commitment that is made but for many others, fostering can take a different form.
One of the biggest misconceptions about foster care is that it's all or nothing.
In reality, children and young people in our region need different types of care. Some need a long-term home and others need emergency care for a short period.
Many simply need respite care. The kind of care where a child spends a weekend, a few days during school holidays, or regular short stays with another family to give their primary carers a break.
Respite carers play a vital role in the foster care system. By providing care one weekend a month or stepping in during an emergency, these carers help create stability for children.
Respite carers are an essential part of foster care. Their contribution may be occasional, but the impact can be life-changing.
People can naturally rule themselves out of being a foster carer as they recognise it’s a complex process or think they might not fit the mould of being a carer. Perhaps they think they're too young, too old, single, working full-time, renting or don't have children of their own.
There is no perfect formula for being a foster carer. At CatholicCare our foster carers come from all walks of life and bring different experiences, strengths and backgrounds to the role. What matters most is having the time, commitment and willingness to provide a safe, caring and supportive environment for a child.
Carers are not expected to do it alone. Training is provided, there’s ongoing guidance, 24/7 support and financial assistance to help carers succeed in what can be a challenging but immensely rewarding role.
This Foster Care Week, I encourage anyone who has ever wondered whether they could make a difference to take a closer look: www.fostercare.catholiccare.org.au.
You don't need to commit to fostering full-time and you don't need to have all the answers. What children across the region need most are caring adults willing to say yes, whether that's for a weekend or for the long term.
Changing a child's future can start with making room for one more heart.