Foster Care FAQ

Many Foster Carers work or study and care for a child in Foster Care. What governs this placement arrangement is the specific needs of the child or young person, the type of care required, and the flexibility of work arrangements

All recommendations by a worker of age, gender and type of care are made in consultation with you. Matching your family to the child’s needs is very important to us.

Children and young people in foster care need a home where they feel like they belong, where they are cared for and safe and where they have their own space. As part of this, foster children need to have their own bedroom. Sibling groups can share a bedroom but we ask that children who aren’t related have their own room.

There are no age restrictions however we look for carers who are healthy and able to provide for the length of care for which they are authorised.

Depending on the nature of the offense, you may still be eligible to become a Foster Carer. Certain crimes, particularly child-related offences, are automatic disqualifiers. We will discuss the results of our Criminal Record Check with you.

No, however carers do receive a fortnightly allowance to meet the day-to-day needs of children or young people in their care. Carers may be entitled to payments from Centrelink however each case is different. Please contact your local Centrelink office for more information. Further information about the allowance is available through the recruitment process.

Children usually continue to have visits with their own families. In fact, it is very rare that a child will not have contact with their birth parents and extended family. The frequency and length of these visits depends on the child’s age and needs.

This varies according to the needs of the child.

Foster care is not a certain path to adoption, but it can happen in some circumstances.

This depends on a number of factors including the scheduling of Assessments and Training sessions and your availability for interviews. The average time is 3-6 months.

Because being a Foster Carer is such an important task, you will be asked about many aspects of your life relevant to being a Foster Carer. In particular we will look at your ability to:

• Draw from and apply your own personal experiences to the tasks of fostering.
• Work with other people, particularly staff from Community Services and Veritas House Inc., other professionals and birth families.
• Provide a good quality day to day care for children in a safe and nurturing environment.

Our staff take all family members’ perspectives into account. If your children are clear they do not want to share their toys, home and parents with another child, this must be respected. It is important that you speak with your children about fostering and ask them how they feel about it.

Foster Care agencies in the area have an agreement that Foster Carers can only provide care for one agency at a time. If you wish to become a Foster Carer with Veritas House you must discuss this with your current agency and sign a Release of Information Form for us to get information about your caring history with that agency.