Foster Care
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Everybody Needs A Helping Hand
Female
101 years old
Victoria
Australia
Last Login: 3/3/2009
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Our wonderful, committed, hard-working, patient, understanding and caring foster carers, and anyone who puts their hand up to take on this life-changing role.
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| Status: | Single | | Here for: | Networking, Friends | | Zodiac Sign: | Capricorn | | Occupation: | Foster Care |
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About me:
Welcome to the Myspace of Foster Care in Victoria, Australia. If you would like to become a carer, or are interested in receiving further information regarding foster care, please contact your local agency as listed in the "I'd Like To Meet" section.
If you would like to speak to others who are currently fostering or interested in fostering, visit the Victorian Foster Care Forum. You can also visit the Victorian Foster Care Blog for more information about foster care and details of foster care in the news.
What is foster care?
Foster care provides safe & supportive homes for children & teenagers when they are unable to live with theirn own families. The aim of foster care is to reunite children with their own families.
In Victoria, foster care is provided by members of the community who are involved with a community service organisation, or CSO, which is commissioned by the Department of Human Services to provide these services.
There are several types of foster care programs in Victoria. Some CSOs provide a variety of programs, and some only provide one or two. Some of these programs are:
* General Foster Care - for children aged 0-18 years
* Disability - respite & full-time foster care for children & young people 0-18 with a disability or developmental delay
* Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) - for children & young people with complex needs
* Adolescent Community Placement (ACP) - for young people aged 13-17 years
All children in foster care live in different circumstances, and therefore have different needs. Children can require safe, loving & supportive care:
* immediately
* in a few weeks
* overnight
* one weekend a month
* for a few months
* for several years
Foster carers may choose the length of care they are willing to provide, and may even specify the age or gender of children they are willing to provide care for.
Who can be a foster carer?
Foster carers are people from the community who are:
* from all backgrounds & cultures
* single, married or in a de facto relationship
* working full time, part time, studying, or not in paid employment
* living alone, with family, or in a shared household or rented property
* childless or have children
* aged between 20 - 80 years
What kind of commitment is required to be a foster carer?
Foster carers are able to decide what best suits them, and are able to go on hold at any stage for any length of time, although potential carers are asked to think carefully before they commit to a placement, as stability is extremely important to children in care.
Why do some children need foster care?
There are a range of reasons why children come in to care, including poverty, lack of support, disability, mental illness or medical issues, family crisis, abandonment, neglect, drug or alcohol issues, or emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
What sort of reimbursement is available to foster carers?
Being a foster carer is a voluntary role & therefore there is no salary involved. However, foster carers receive a fortnightly non-taxable allowance for each night that they have a child in their care. This is to help meet the costs of food, clothing, & general living expenses for the child. The actual amount of reimbursement varies depending on a number of factors.
Intensive foster carers (who care for children & young people with intensive needs) receive a higher rate of reimbursement than do general foster carers, as well as extra training. This includes children & young people in the Disability program (who have an intellectual disability or developmental delay), as well as many with intensive physical, emotional or behavioural needs.
Complex foster carers receive the highest rate of reimbursement & training. These carers usually provide one-to-one care for children & young people aged 7-18 years who have extremely high, complex needs, and require specialised care and support. This includes young people in Enhanced Adolescent Community Placements as well as many Therapeutic Foster Care placements.
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Who I'd like to meet:
If you live in the municipalities of Boroondara, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Whitehorse or the Yarra Ranges in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, and would like to become a carer, or are interested in receiving further information regarding foster care in your local area please call Anglicare Victoria on 1300 889 335.
If you live elsewhere in Victoria and would like to become a carer, or are interested in receiving further information regarding foster care in Victoria please call the Foster Care Hotline on 1800 013 088 toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For Western Australia, call the Foster Care Association of Western Australia on 1800 641 911.
For NSW, call the Foster Care Association of NSW on 1800 783 663.
For South Australia, call Connecting Foster Carers SA on 1800 732 272.
For Queensland, call Foster Care Queensland on 1300 550 877.
For Tasmania, call the Department of Health & Human Services on 1800 001 219.
For the ACT, call Barnardos on (02) 9281 5510.
For the Northern Territory, call the Department of Health & Community Services on 1800 814 599.
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Foster Care has 201 friends.
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