Out of Home 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.
Anglicare operates OOHC services across NSW, including the Southern Tablelands, South Coast, Snowy Mountains, Riverina, Central West and Murray regions. Anglicare also operates under the name St Saviours in West and South West metropolitan Sydney.
Types of Out of Home Care
While Out of Home Care is often referred to simply as foster care, there are a number of different types of care for children and young people who enter OOHC.
The types of care include;
Emergency Care
When children and young people need immediate care to ensure their safety, they require carers to be available at very short notice. This type of care can be required for days, weeks or up to 3 months whilst further planning is undertaken to ensure the best care option for the child or young person.
Short Term Care
This care arrangement may be required for children and young people for a period of up to two years when the goal is to support the child or young person return to their family.
Permanent Care
In some situations, children and young people are unable to return their birth family and require a new family to care for them until maturity.
Respite Care
Respite care involves caring for a child or young person on an occasional basis. This usually occurs over weekends or school holidays and is planned in advance.
Residential Care
Anglicare provides full-time residential care homes in Sydney’s West and South West and in the Riverina and Central NSW regions. The residential care homes care for to up to four young people in each house and are staffed full-time by Anglicare Youth Workers. Residential Care provides safe, stable accommodation for young people usually aged over 12 years who have complex care needs. The plan for young people living in a residential home is usually for them to be prepared to be able to live in a family environment with a foster family or with their kin or to return home to their birth family. Often young people aged 15 years and older will choose to remain in a residential home until maturity.
Becoming a Foster Carer
Wherever possible, children who are not able to live with their parents are placed with relative or someone close to them. When this is not possible, children are placed with a foster carer.
Foster carers are everyday people who have a heart to help children and give them a future full of hope. Being a foster carer can involve challenges but above all, it is incredibly rewarding.
- Truly enjoy caring for children and young people
- Enjoy parenting and are open to learning new and different ways to parent foster children
- Are non-judgemental, accepting and compassionate
- Have hope and belief that things can change
- Hold a commitment to ease the pain of children
As a foster carer, you are expected to:
- Provide a safe, supportive and nurturing home environment
- Provide the best possible care and emotional support to meet the child’s everyday needs
- Help the child maintain a relationship with their parents and other family members
- Support the child in their education and recreational activities
Have questions? See our FAQs or contact us today.
Aboriginal Out of Home Care
Anglicare acknowledges that there is an alarming over representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out of home care. Statistics show that the rate for Indigenous children is almost ten times higher than that of non-indigenous children.
To address this critical issue, Anglicare has partnered with Orange Aboriginal Medial Services to coordinate the Yiriyirimbang Out of Home Care service in Western NSW. Yiriyirimbang (which means Happy, Sacred, Comforted) is an Aboriginal agency under the banner of Anglicare with an aim of helping children in care remain connected to their Aboriginal culture and identity.
The service also supports families to maintain the care of their children, and/or have their children restored to their long-term care. This will involve working intensively with families, Case Managers and Care Teams to implement practice frameworks that increase parenting capacity and provide sustained protective care for children.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a foster carer?
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.
Who can be a foster carer?
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.
Will I receive any training as a foster carer?
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.
Can I be a foster carer if I already have children?
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.
Can I be a foster carer if I work?
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.
Do foster carers receive financial support?
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.
What support will I receive from Anglicare?
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.
Where does Anglicare need foster carers?
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.
Contact Us
To contact the Anglicare team and to find out more about our Out of Home Care services in your region, click the icons below.
