What is fostering?
Foster care provides temporary homes for children and adolescents in need of safety and stability. The primary goal of foster care is to ensure the physical, emotional, and social well-being of the child until they can safely return home. Foster care involves the collaboration of various agencies, professionals, and foster families who work together to provide temporary housing, food, clothing, education, and medical care for these children. The length of time a child remains in foster care can vary widely, from a few days to several years.
Could I become a foster carer?
Foster carers come from a variety of backgrounds. You can be working or retired, single, married, in a same-sex relationship, and may or may not have children of your own.
Your lifestyle and overall health, as well as your capacity to work together alongside others to create a nurturing environment for a vulnerable child, is what’s crucial.
Essential characteristics of carers include empathy, compassion, patience, positivity, consistency, adaptability and an ability to collaborate with others. A good foster carer is dedicated to the welfare of children and young people.
What are the different types of foster care?
Temporary Care - When children first come into care they may require temporary care, anything from a few days to up to two years depending on their age and circumstances.
Emergency Care - This type of care is frequently provided to children who first enter care until a longer term placement is identified, so carers will need to be flexible and available from overnight to a month. Children may also require an emergency placement if their primary care arrangement breaks down.
Short Break Care - Foster carers who provide short breaks support a child’s primary placement often for example, one weekend a fortnight or month in their own home.
Permanent Care - Children in out of home care, who are unable to be reunified with a parent or caregiver, may need permanent out of home care. The best hope is that a care arrangement will be found with foster carers who can provide a care arrangement for the child until they turn 18 years old.
What is expected of me as a foster carer?
As a foster carer, you are responsible for providing a supportive and nurturing environment for a child or children in need. This includes ensuring their physical, emotional, social, educational, and cultural needs are met. You will work collaboratively with SWAMS to ensure the best possible outcome for the child. This includes facilitating communication with their biological family and professionals involved in their care.
Can I work whilst being a foster carer?
Yes, it is possible to work whilst being a foster carer, although the amount of time and flexibility of work will be taken into consideration as well as various factors such as the specific needs of the foster children in your care. A suitability assessment will be made before placing a child in your care. SWAMS may be able to offer support such as financial support with day care or after school care.
Will a police record stop me from fostering?
A police record may or may not stop you from fostering, as the decision is dependent on various factors. In some cases, a minor offense or a record that is deemed to have no relevance to your ability to care for a child may not automatically disqualify you. However, if the offense is more severe or directly related to child welfare, it is likely that you will be disqualified from fostering. It is important for you to discuss any criminal history with SWAMS early in your application process. All carers must hold a valid Working With Childrens (WWC) Check and a National Police (NP) Clearance.
What is the process of becoming a foster carer and how long will it take?
Becoming a foster carer is a process that involves several steps and typically takes 3-6 months to complete. The general process is as follows:
- Submit your expression of interest of becoming a carer by phone, form or email and we will set up a casual meeting to discuss your journey as a Foster Carer.
- A SWAMS worker will meet at your house and discuss you household circumstances and answer any further questions you may have.
- You will complete 16 hours of training (either online or face to face in Perth) in three separate stages. During this stage you will also be commencing your assessment with our Intake and Assessment officer, which includes 4-6 times home visits.
- Once your assessment and relevant checks have been completed we will make our recommendation to the Department of Communities where it will be assessed by their Foster Care Assessment Panel.
- Once you are authorised you will be ready to foster children with the support of SWAMS.
Will I receive any training?
Yes, foster carers will receive comprehensive training to prepare them for the role, this includes 16 hours of training before becoming a registered carer. Ongoing training will also be provided and will assist you in topics such as child development, attachment theory, communication skills, trauma-informed care, cultural competence, and legal and ethical issues in foster care.
What support does Kwaba Bidi at South West Aboriginal Medical Services Offer?
The right training and support are fundamental for successful foster carers. Our carers receive every support necessary to help with providing therapeutic care for a young aboriginal person. We provide training, guidance, and resources to help you along your journey.
- Cultural support
- Culturally Appropriate mentoring
- Individualised Foster Carer training
- Specialised therapeutic crisis intervention training
- Trauma informed care training
- Dedicated case worker
- 24/7 family support
- Ongoing professional and peer support
- Financial support
- Short Break/Respite care
- Access to support groups and other complimentary services at SWAMS
- Activities and days out
- Easy access for foster children to attend medical appointments
How long will the child/ren be in my care?
The duration of care for foster children varies based on individual circumstances. Factors like the child's background, the birth family's situation, and court decisions can influence the length of stay. It will also vary depending on why type of care you are approved for, whether it be temporary care, emergency care, short term care or long term care.
Do I get to decide what age children I can foster?
Yes, you have the opportunity to specify the age range of the children you care for. This allows you to consider factors like your lifestyle, experience and capacity to support children of different ages. Being able to select an age range can help ensure a better match between your family and the foster children, creating a more positive and supportive environment for everyone involved.
Are foster carers paid?
Carers will receive a non-taxable foster care allowance for each night a child is in their care. The amount they receive varies depending on the needs and complexities of a child. This payment is meant to assist with expenses related to the child's daily needs, such as food, clothing and school supplies. While the primary motivation for fostering should be the well-being of the child, the financial support provided can help foster carers provide a stable and nurturing environment for the children in their care.
Additionally, as a short break carer with SWAMS you will receive a weekly retainer to show our appreciation of being available at short notice.
How long will the child/ren be in my care?
The duration of care for foster children varies based on individual circumstances. Factors like the child's background, the birth family's situation, and court decisions can influence the length of stay. It will also vary depending on why type of care you are approved for, whether it be temporary care, emergency care, short term care or long term care.
Do foster children keep in touch with their birth families?
Foster children often benefit from keeping in touch with their birth families. Relationships with their birth families vary greatly and are influenced by numerous factors. Some foster children maintain close contact with their birth families through regular visits, phone calls, letters or social media, while others have minimal or no contact. The frequency and nature of contact can change over time, depending on the circumstances of both the child and their birth family.
Can I say no to a child placement and still be on the list?
Yes, there is no problem if you believe that the child is not suitable to be placed within your home or are not available to take a child placement during that time. You will remain as an active foster carer on our Carer list.
Why do young people come into care?
Children can enter the Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) system for various reasons, reflecting the complex needs and circumstances of vulnerable children and their families. Some of the most common reasons include neglect, abuse, abandonment, parental substance abuse, mental illness and parental incarceration.
I don’t have a spare room – can I foster?
All applications are assessed on a case by case basis. There is a possibility that you could be approved if you do not have a spare bedroom.
Can I foster if I have pets?
Yes, you can foster children while having pets, but it is important to consider the safety and health of both the children and the pets.
How will fostering impact on my Centrelink benefits?
The Foster Care allowance isn’t classified as taxable income and does not count as income for Centrelink or taxation purposes. If you have a child in your care long term you may be eligible for Family Tax Benefit, Parenting Payment & Child Care Benefit (subject to the eligibility of the payment). You may also receive an exemption from your mutual obligations for up to 12 months as an active foster carer. Additionally, the child will hold their own Foster Care Health Care Card.
Do I have to take the child to their appointments?
Generally, transport to and from appointments comes under general care of a foster child. Although we do understand that sometimes you aren’t able to undertake the transport and we can provide support through one of our staff members taking the child to their appointments.
How often does respite occur as a full time carer?
This varies between carers, the general rule is 2 days per fortnight. How you manage respite is organized between yourself as the carer and SWAMS. Some foster carers receive respite every second weekend, and others may have a week on odd occasion.
Do I take the child on holidays with me?
Deciding whether to take foster children on holidays with you is a personal decision that requires careful consideration of various factors. It's important to prioritise the child's needs, respect their cultural and religious background and maintain open communication with the caseworker and biological family. Any trips outside of Western Australia would need prior approval. Respite care will be provided if the outcome of the decision is to not take the child.
Are the children violent or have special needs?
Foster children are not inherently violent or have special needs. They come from diverse backgrounds and experiences and their behavior can be influenced by various factors.
Each child will have an assessment to determine their usual range of behaviours called the NAT (Needs Assessment Tool). The NAT supports us to make determinations to match carers with appropriate placements and allow for children’s individual needs of care.
The NAT Levels range from 1-5, 1 being at a normal range and 5 having extremely complex needs. You will be advised of the child’s NAT Level before a child comes into your care and together we can assess the suitability of the placement.
What checks do you take to find suitable carers?
It is important to ensure the safety of the children in care and there are multiple checks that need to be completed, these can include the following: National Police Check, Working with Childrens Check, Department of Communities 395 Record Check, Environmental Check, Medical check, Driver’s license, car insurance & references.
Does everyone in the house need to be assessed?
Yes. Everyone who spends more than 21 nights a year in the household would need to be assessed.
Why are Aboriginal children not placed with Aboriginal carers?
Aboriginal children's primary placement preference, as guided by Aboriginal Placement Principals, should always be with family on country. However, the Out of Home Care Sector in Western Australia has found it difficult to recruit Aboriginal Carers. Every case is different, and although every effort is made to place an Aboriginal child with a family member, there are situations when there are no suitable care options within the family. In these situations, we consider the next suitable option in accordance with the Aboriginal Placement Principles.
Currently, more than 40% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not placed with other Indigenous carers or in Indigenous residential care.
What cultural support is available?
At SWAMS we are dedicated in providing a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children in care. We have a cultural team, that supports non-Aboriginal carers to meet the foster child’s cultural needs.
Aboriginal Children in SWAMS care have a Cultural Support Plan completed annually. If a child is placed with a non-Indigenous family, or an Aboriginal family that is unrelated, careful planning is required, particularly for children living away from country, to ensure the child is supported to develop and maintain connections to the culture and traditions of the child's family or community.
SWAMS may provide the following:
- organising for the child to attend an Aboriginal run school where possible, such as Clontarf Academy or Djidi Djidi Aboriginal School
- regular return to country trips
- provide carers with a list of common words in the child's primary language to support the child to learn language, and
- engaging the child in regular cultural activities, celebrations, and events, including with family where possible.
Non-Indigenous carers may be supported by the Aboriginal Cultural Lead or other Aboriginal staff to ensure that they are able to provide ample opportunities for the child in their care to be engaged with their cultural and community.
I’m currently fostering with another agency, what’s the process of changing over to SWAMS?
Let us and your caseworker with the Department know that you are wanting to change agencies and move to SWAMS.
SWAMS will work with the department to make the transition for you as smooth as possible. A Carer Review and National Police Check may be required.