Kids on the coast

But what if parents are unable to fulfill this role? What happens to those children?

Ideally, the wider community takes responsibility for ensuring that all children in the community grow up in a safe and caring environment. In Australia, the Child Protection Act (1999) is based on the principle that “The welfare and best interests of a child are paramount”. In line with the belief that “The preferred way of ensuring a child’s wellbeing is through support of the child’s family”, the Government has a variety of agencies working to help families function better.

The Sunshine Coast Family Relationship Centre is a local example. The Act also states that if a child is removed from the family (in the child’s best interests), the aim is to safely return the child to the family if possible. Under the Act, every effort must be made to maintain the child’s family and social contacts, taking into account the child’s ethnic and cultural identity.
 
In June 2008 the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reported that 31,166 Australian children were living in out-of-home care, an increase of 115% over the previous 10 years. As our society has moved away from institutionalised care to home-based care most of these children are now being cared for by foster carers in their own homes.

Non-kinship carers (unrelated to the child) care for 48% of fostered children and Aboriginal and Torres Straits children are fostered within their own communities (as far as possible) so that they maintain their cultural identities. Thus, 45% of fostered children are in kinship care (extended family or within the indigenous community).

Who decides if a child is in need of foster care?

The Department of Child Safety (DCS) is the leading child protection agency in Queensland. It works to ensure that Queensland children are safe from abuse, neglect and harm in their homes. Of course, the whole community has a responsibility to protect all of its children. Anyone who knows or suspects that a child is being abused or neglected is urged to report it to the DCS or local police. When DCS receives information about harm or the risk of harm, its officers investigate to assess whether a child is in need of protection.

Officers may determine no further action is needed or that family support to strengthen the parent’s abilities to care for their child is the best option. If, however, the assessment is that it is unsafe for the child to remain in the home, DCS may apply to the family court for the child to be placed on a care and protection order.

Why children are fostered ?

While some children may be in short-term care due to parental illness or an inability to care for the child temporarily, most are placed in foster care under this type of order. The Raising Children Network website says that reasons why children are fostered include:
• The home life of the biological parent is unhealthy or inadequate for the child.
• Domestic violence, sexual assault or physical abuse may be occurring in the home.
• Parents may be in jail or suffering drug abuse, mental health issues or intellectual disability.

The move to home-based care has meant an ever-increasing need for suitable foster carers – families who will open their hearts and homes to a child or young person needing a safe, stable and loving environment in which to heal and grow. In May 2008 the Queensland Government committed more than $15 million over five years to a campaign “to recruit, train and increase support for foster and kinship carers” (Department of Child Safety website).

Foster care on the Coast

Department of Communities principal media officer Casey McCarthy says there is a world-wide trend towards “an increasing demand for services to protect vulnerable children and young people” as a consequence of “rapid social, cultural and economic changes”. “There are more than 208 children and young people on the Sunshine Coast who can not live safely at home because one or both of their parents have abused or neglected them, and only 150 carer families,” Casey says.

“On the Sunshine Coast we particularly need carers who can provide a home and support to adolescents, children with disabilities, children with challenging behaviour, kinship carers who can ensure indigenous children on the Coast can maintain their cultural links and carers who can take sibling groups.”

Casey says that becoming a carer is a serious decision but a carer can be an individual, couple or family. Casey recommends sitting down with your partner, your children or other significant people in your life to consider questions such as the following:

• What other stresses are there on our family at the current time?
• Is this a good time to invite new challenges?
• How would we cope with the uncertainty of the length of stay of children in our care?
• How would we cope if a child or young person placed in our home has difficult or out-of-the-ordinary behaviours?
• Can we cope with a child or a young person returning to the care of their parents when we feel that they may not provide the same standard of care that we have?
• How will our family adjust to the addition of other members? What changes, compromises or sacrifices will need to be made? Is everyone prepared to make these changes?
• If in a relationship - is our relationship strong enough at this time for us to work as a team and support one another?
• If single - have I considered the lifestyle changes and loss of privacy associated with sharing my home with a child or young person?

If you have done some research (see fact box) and consulted loved ones, you may wish to contact the Sunshine Coast Child Safety Service Centre on 5453 1888 or the central recruitment office 1300 550 877. Be assured that there is a wealth of information, training and support available to help you once you take that step.

Training the carers

Casey explains the training program: “Training is provided while prospective new carers are undergoing assessment. This training is designed to give prospective carers an idea of the various scenarios and issues they are likely to encounter as foster parents as well as introducing them to departmental legislation and policy,” she says. “Carers can opt out at this point if they feel that foster caring isn’t for them.”
Further standard training is given to carers once they are approved and “an extensive training calendar is developed each year giving carers a wide choice of training to meet individual needs and circumstances”.

Supporting the carers

Casey says The Department of Communities recognises that carers who feel supported in their challenging role are better able to provide quality care. In addition to the training program each carer is provided with a Carer Handbook to help them with day-to-day issues. A support line is also available on evenings and weekends.

Foster and kinship carers sometimes need a break from caring. Support carers are available to provide regular short periods of care for a child or care in emergency situations. They go through the same training and assessment processes but are able to determine their own availability, for example, weekends or holidays. Some go on to commit to long-term foster caring.

A long-term carer’s view

Hazel and Garry Little of Pelican Waters have been foster carers for 28 years. They have three children (now adults) and six grandchildren. Hazel is Vice President of FCQ and a FAST delegate. Hazel and Garry began foster caring in Brisbane when their youngest had just started school. Hazel says she wanted to work from home in a job that would sit well with her family commitments. She felt she had an ability to care for children, including children with disabilities, and an understanding of child health and safety, and educational issues.
 
In the Sandra Bullock movie, “The Blind Side”, Bullock’s character, Leigh Anne Tuohy, and a friend are discussing the Tuohy family’s decision to take a young, homeless youth into their home. The friend says to Leigh Anne, “You are changing that boy’s life.” Leigh Anne replies thoughtfully, “No, he is changing mine”.

Hazel identifies with this comment. She says the decision to foster has had a positive effect on her family as well. “It gave our own children a better outlook on life – it made them better adults and better parents,” she says. “They learned to share and realised that some children don’t have a very good start to life.”

Hazel has continued as a carer for 28 years because “You become involved with children and families. I made a commitment and I wanted to see it through.” Hazel says it is important to the child to have stability and as few moves (between foster homes) as possible. She listed important characteristics of successful carers as a sense of commitment, flexibility, a sense of humour and the ability to be non-judgemental.

Hazel acknowledged the challenges of foster caring and says matching children’s needs with the best family available is sometimes difficult. “In some cases, children’s needs have become more complex,” she explains. She believes one of the major challenges of fostering is dealing with ‘external factors’ – such as schools, counsellors, health agencies and maintaining links with the child’s family.

But Hazel is focused on the bigger picture. To see children’s lives turned around is reward enough for Hazel and her family. Hazel recently attended a wedding of a 20-year-old young woman that she cared for in the first 12 months of life – and shed a few happy tears! “ You can’t save the world but you can make a difference in a child’s life,” she says.

Support for foster carers

Foster Care Queensland (FCQ) is a support and advocacy organisation open to all foster and kinship carers, their families and the children in their care. The FCQ website is also a useful source of information for potential carers who may be willing to “stretch their family circle” to care for children “during a very difficult time in their lives”. One of FCQ’s practical support measures for carers is provided by their Foster Care Advocacy and Support Team (FAST). They are specially trained local foster carers who have volunteered to provide support, advice and advocacy for carers in their area.

Financial support for foster carers

The Department of Child Safety website gives the following information on financial support available to foster carers:
• A fortnightly caring allowance is paid to foster and kinship carers as a contribution toward the costs of caring for the child or young person placed with them. It covers items such as food, clothing, household provisions, gifts, pocket money, entertainment and other everyday costs of caring for a child.
• In addition, financial support is available at the start of a child or young person’s placement with a carer, when costs are likely to be high.
• A one-off start-up allowance is provided to carers when a child stays in a placement for five consecutive nights or more.
• Carers also receive a one-off establishment payment when a child or young person comes onto a finalised Child Protection Order. An additional allowance is provided to carers if the child is assessed as having high support needs.
• One-off funding of $300 per child in care is available to help children in foster or kinship care participate in sport and recreation activities during 2010.
• Assistance may also be available to carers for reimbursement of substantial additional costs when they form part of the case plan for the child or young person in care.

Need more information?

Child safety: www.childsafety.qld.gov.au
Foster Carer Recruitment Line: 1300 550 877.
Foster Care Queensland: www.fcq.com.au
Raising Children: www.raisingchildren.net.au