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A foster carer provides a supportive and safe home environment for children who have experienced trauma such as abuse or neglect and can no longer live with their families for a time. Foster carers provide care for children and young people until they can safely return to live with their family or when this is not possible, until they move to live with a new permanent family. Foster carers may also support children, young people and their families by providing respite care.

There is not one type of person who makes a good foster carer. We seek carers from a range of ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious backgrounds in order to meet the diverse needs of children requiring care. Carers must be 25 years or older and can be single men or women, married, de facto or same-sex couples, with or without children.

To be eligible as a foster parent, you must also be prepared to undergo a National Police Check, hold a Working with Children Check (NSW) and be willing to have a Community Services Check completed. It is also an expectation that foster carers commit to participating in ongoing professional development to continue to learn and develop new skills.

Yes. All foster carers are required to complete mandatory training during the application process and be willing to participate in ongoing training to help them develop skills as a carer.

Yes. However, children who enter foster care often have very complex needs and require the commitment and support of all family members. With this in mind, it is crucial to talk with your children when considering fostering care to understand their views. We suggest you speak to our staff to help you determine whether fostering is right for you and your family at this time.

This is dependent on the needs of the child and the type of care you are providing. For permanent care, we usually request one parent to be at home for up to 12 months at the start of the placement, particularly for children aged under five years old. For other types of care it is usual that carers continue to work.

Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance to cover the expenses of caring for a child such as food, clothing recreation and educational needs. The amount you receive is dependent on the age and complexity of the child you are caring for and does not affect other government benefits you may already be receiving. Financial support to foster carers is not considered a taxable income by the ATO.

In addition to the financial allowance, Anglicare provides a dedicated case manager, regular ongoing training, access to specialist services and a support line for advice and assistance that is operational 24hours a day, 7 days a week.

Anglicare is seeking all kinds of families for all kinds of children in Wagga Wagga, Albury, Leeton, Orange, Goulburn, Bega, Moruya, Liverpool, Nowra and the surrounding regions.

Out of Home Care (OOHC) is a term that is often used interchangeably with foster care but foster care is just one type of OOHC. Other types of care include intensive therapeutic care (ITC) or kinship care.

OOHC supports children and young people up to under 18 years who can no longer live at home with their parents. The needs of children in OOHC vary greatly from low-support needs to children with complex needs due to history of trauma and abuse.

For some children and young people this is for a very short period – weeks or months – and for others they will need to grow up permanently in a new family. The care needs of children in OOHC are very complex and uniquely individual and will be dependent on their history and the traumas they have experienced prior to entering care.