information for prospective foster carers · health screening from your doctor and includes referee...

JUNE 2020

INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE FOSTER CARERS

WHAT IS FOSTER CARE?

• Foster care is an arrangement where a family or an individual provides a home for

children who cannot live safely with their family of origin.

• The Department takes over the role of legal guardian.

• Two types of care:

Family Care – The Department’s preference Is to place the child with family

members.

Foster Care – Carers provide care for a child or children not related

to them.

Department of Communities

THE ROLE OF A FOSTER CARER

Foster carers:

• are volunteers;

• are willing and able to provide a nurturing family for children who are unable to live safely with their family;

• support contact with family members;

• support the child’s return to family when that is the plan.


NEED FOR CARERS

There is an ongoing need for foster carers for children from birth until 18 years.

There are currently approximately 5500 children in care in Western Australia, of these:‒ 36% placed in foster care (Department and community sector)‒ 45% placed with family carers‒ 19% placed in other placement options such as group homes.

The total number of children placed in care continues to rise.

Children are coming into care earlier and remaining longer.


COULD I BE A FOSTER CARER?

• You need to be able to provide a safe living arrangement for a child who may be troubled or traumatised.

• You can be male or female, single or a couple, have children or not, work full or part-time, or be retired; what matters is your maturity, health and lifestyle.

• You need to be financially stable.

• You need to be prepared to attend training and learn new skills.

• You must be an Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident orhold a New Zealand Special Category visa – subclass 444.


ABORIGINAL & CaLD CHILDREN

You may be asked to care for a child from a different cultural background to your own: ‒ Approximately 55% of children in care are Aboriginal.‒ Approximately 6% of children in care are from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD)

background.

A strong cultural identity is important for a child's sense of self and well-being.

A cultural plan will help you support the child’s identity.


ABORIGINAL CHILDREN

• It is very likely that you will be asked to care for an Aboriginal child.

• All Aboriginal children will have a cultural plan.

• As a foster carer, you will be required to demonstrate why you want to care for an Aboriginal child and how you will promote a strong cultural identity for the child.


WHY DO CHILDREN COME INTO CARE?

• A child that has come into care has suffered or is likely to suffer harm.

• Harm can be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and/or neglect.

• Neglect can be due to parent’s inability to provide ‘good enough’ parenting as a result of:‒ Drug and/or alcohol issues‒ Domestic violence‒ Mental health issues ‒ Imprisonment‒ Parental illness


CHILDREN WHO COME INTO CARE

• They have experienced trauma, and this impacts upon their emotional well-being and behaviour.

• They have been separated from their parents, family, friends and community.

• They may have had several placements before coming to YOU.

• Some children may have developmental delays, or a level of intellectual or physical disability.


LEGAL ORDERS

• The Department’s legal authority is contained in the Children and Community Services Act 2004.

• All children who come into care are placed under Protection Orders by the Children’s Court of Western Australia. The Orders are:‒ time-limited (up to two years) - where reunification is explored‒ until 18 - where permanent care arrangements are made.

• The Court may also issue a special guardianship order where full parental responsibility is transferred to the foster carer (special guardian) until the child turns 18 years of age.


STABILITY AND CONNECTION

• Stability and connection are priorities for the child from the moment a child enters care so there is a clear plan for his/her support.

• Permanency planning is the process of making long-term care arrangements for children with families who can offer lifetime relationships and a sense of belonging.

• The decision about whether a child should return home must be made within:‒ 12 months for children under three years of age, and ‒ within two years for children aged three years and older.

• For sibling groups the youngest child’s age directs the timeframe.


TYPES OF CARE

Within the given time-frame, reunification needs to be considered (preferred option) alongside a long-term permanency placement plan.

• Temporary care – up to two years - where no final court decision has been made for the long-term legal care of a child.

• Permanent care – over two years - where a final court decision has been made for a child to remain in the long-term or permanent legal care of the Department or people other than their biological parents.


STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT

Districts - There is one near you:

9 Metropolitan Districts - Armadale, Cannington, Fremantle, Joondalup, Midland, Mirrabooka, Peel, Perth, Rockingham

8 Country Districts - East Kimberley, Goldfields, Great Southern, Murchison, Pilbara, South West, West Kimberley, Wheatbelt

Head Office - Child and Carer Connection Hub, Adoptions


TEMPORARY CARE

Location Types of care Length Suited to people who:

DISTRICT Up to two years willing to work towards reunification

Emergency Overnight or up to 28 days

are flexible;can help settle the child into foster care.

Short-break support

Generally weekends or school holidays

are willing to provide a consistent support to the primary carer;have limited but regular time available to foster.

CHILD & CARER CONNECTION HUB Carer Support Team

Short-breaksupport

Generally weekends or school holidays

as abovesupport children and carers across the metro;carefully match children with carers for regular support.

Pre-Adoptive Few days to 24 months

enjoy looking after babies or very young children; one carer is not working;able to facilitate contact with birth parents within your own home.

PERMANENT CARE

Location Length Suited to people who:

DISTRICT Until age 18 years • are willing and able to care for a child for life;• are able to help the child develop a positive attachment to a caregiver;• are able to maintain and strengthen a child’s cultural, biological and

racial identity; • can provide a living situation which will assist the child recover from

harm; • are able to facilitate the establishment of a solid base from which the

child can connect to throughout life for “redirection, refuelling, and a sounding board”.

• Can apply for • Special Guardianship Order

• parental responsibility is transferred to the carers until the child turns 18 years of age;

• are able to carry out all parental functions without having to consult the Department.

• Can apply for • Carer Adoption • parental responsibility is permanently transferred to the carers for life.

SUPPORT FOR CARERS: STAFF

Team Leader supervises:

Child Protection Worker who is responsible for the child’s well-being.

Senior Child Protection Worker – Placement Services who supports the carers and the care arrangement.


SUPPORT FOR CARERS :

CARE TEAM APPROACH

All children in care will have an identified care team that will work together to support the child and carer in the care arrangement.

The team consists of people who are important to the child and carer:

‒ The foster family‒ The birth family‒ Department and agency workers‒ Other people significant to the child

The care team will be guided by the question, ”what do I need to do to support the child’s development, learning, stability and growth, as well as healing?”


SUPPORT FOR CARERS:

SHORT-BREAK SUPPORT

• The Department will support foster carers with various strategies

to have a break from their caring responsibilities.

• Ideally, this will be provided by the child’s natural support network

such as family members, the carer’s family and community

supports.

• If this is not possible, short-break carers can be utilised; some

children may attend community camps during school holidays.

• Normalising the experience will give the children the opportunity

for enduring relationships and experience a sense of belonging.


SUPPORT TO CARERS: FINANCIAL SUPPORT

• Foster carers are volunteers and receive a fortnightly subsidy to cover the day-to-day living costs of caring for a child.

• The amount increases with the age of the child:‒ 0-6 years: $397.02 per fortnight‒ 7-12 years: $467.49 per fortnight‒ 13-17 years: $537.95 per fortnight.

• The subsidy is a reimbursement for expenses and is, therefore, not taxable. It will not affect Centrelink entitlements.

• Carers are paid additional payments for clothing, school, medical and recreational expenses.

• Approved additional costs will be covered by the Department.


EXTERNAL SUPPORT

The Foster Care Association of WA is an independent organisation that supports foster carers and advocates on their behalf.

The Association provides:‒ ongoing professional support and advocacy to foster families throughout Western Australia.‒ networking and learning opportunities for all foster families.‒ relevant, culturally responsive support to all foster families.‒ a collective voice on behalf of foster families.‒ public awareness of fostering in Western Australia.

Contact – 9242 4222.


CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES: CONTACT

• Contact refers to all links between a child in care and their parents, relatives and with any other people who are significant in the child’s life.

• Types of contact: ‒ directly face-to-face contact ‒ indirectly by telephone, email, letters, gifts or photographs.

• Contact can be: ‒ supervised - (usually by a Departmental worker) when there is risk‒ unsupervised - when there is no risk to the child.


CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

REUNIFICATION

• Where possible, the ultimate goal is for the child to be reunified with his/her family.

• During this process, the Department supports families to achieve safety for their children by addressing those issues that resulted in the child being removed.

• Carers will be invited to monthly meetings with the Department, parents and significant other people in the child’s life during the first one or two years to work towards reunifying the child with his/her parents.



REUNIFICATION continued.

• Reunification is most successful when carers support the child through this process and can let go when he/she is able to return home.

• Sometimes there are opportunities for foster carers to stay in touch with the child and his/her family after reunification and continue to provide ongoing support.



MANAGING DIFFICULT BEHAVIOURS

All the children in care have experienced trauma due to their past abuse and/or neglect. This means that their behaviour at times can be challenging and difficult to manage.

You will need to parent these children in ways that help build trust and allow them to experience the world as a safe place.

Behaviours--------------------------------------------

Feelings and Needs


THE IMPACT OF FOSTERING ON

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

• Fostering is a task that requires the whole family’s commitment.

• If you have children still at home, you need to consider the impact upon them. The success of the fostering experience will be dependent upon how well your children are prepared for and deal with sharing you and their home.

• It is important to have the support of your family and friends as fostering can be very challenging.


WHERE TO FROM HERE?

• Expression of Interest Form - Indicates your interest in fostering.

• Home visit or phone call - This is where we find out a little more about you, and you can ask more questions about fostering.

• Application form - If you and the assessor agree that you should proceed, you can submit an application form. This will include permission for us to seek criminal record checks and a health screening from your doctor and includes referee names.

• Assessment - An assessor will then contact you to make the necessary arrangements for the assessment to be undertaken.


ASSESSMENT

Carers are assessed against the following requirements and reviewed annually:

1. Able to meet the needs of the child. 2. Able to provide a safe living environment for the child.3. Able to work co-operatively with families and professionals.4. Able to take responsibility for the learning and development of skills as a carer.5. Is a person of good character and repute.6. Holds a Working with Children card.7. Able to respond to cultural needs of the child.


WHERE TO FROM HERE?

• During the assessment the applicant is booked into mandatory Preparation Training (18 hours duration). The training is offered flexibly for country applicants or others unable to attend in person.

• A detailed report is prepared by the assessor with a recommendation which is presented to an independent panel for endorsement.

• The approval is done by the Director of the Child and Carer Connection Hub.

• A handover meeting is then held with the local office.

The process can take six months or even longer


FOSTER CARER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

• Carers are expected to engage in ongoing learning.

• A calendar is sent out to carers to advise them of the topics for the year. These include:

Attachment & Trauma Protective BehavioursConcerning Sexualised Behaviours Signs of Safety Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Grief and LossCaring for Aboriginal Children Safer Caring Life Story Work Understanding AutismFoetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder CybersafetySupporting Education Parenting & Discipline Strategies


FURTHER INFORMATION

Metropolitan District OfficesARMADALE 9497 6555 CANNINGTON 9351 0888FREMANTLE 9431 8800 JOONDALUP 9301 3600MIDLAND 9274 9411 MIRRABOOKA 9344 9666PERTH 9214 2444 ROCKINGHAM 9527 0100PEEL 9583 6688

Regional District OfficesEAST KIMBERLEY 9168 0333 GOLDFIELDS 9022 0700GREAT SOUTHERN 9841 0777 MURCHISON 9965 9500PILBARA 9160 2400 SOUTH WEST 9722 5000WEST KIMBERLEY 9193 8400 WHEATBELT 9621 0400

FOSTERING AND ADOPTION SERVICES 1800 182 178


information for prospective foster carers · health screening from your doctor and includes referee...

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