A LACK of foster carers is the latest shortage affecting the State’s Family and Community Services (FACS) department, despite the responsibility shifting to non-government organisations and agencies.
The NSW government has made a commitment to fill child caseworker vacancies following statewide protests by social workers in August, and now the main problem is the number of foster carers for at-risk children.
An additional 450 foster carers will be needed in the next 12 months, for emergency, respite, short-term and long-term situations.
The idea of foster caring always being a permanent, long-term situation is one of the biggest factors stopping people from foster caring, according to Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies deputy chief executive Wendy Foote.
“Some people don’t really know what foster care is and have the preconception that it’s always a full-time role but it can take a number of forms,” Dr Foote said.
“Respite care can be a good way to get a sense of what it’s like looking after a child, and this form of care most commonly occurs across a weekend.
“For other people it’s short-term care they provide so they can care for a child while work is being done with their natural parents, while other families are looking for a child to live with them full time and some of those children end up being adopted.”
There’s a particularly high need for Aboriginal carers, as there’s a preference to place Aboriginal children with Aboriginal carers, Dr Foote said.
“There’s a growing middle class within the Aboriginal community.
“The Aboriginal community has a high level of awareness of the damaging impact of the stolen generation where Aboriginal
children were separated from
family, language and culture,” she said.
“This is a great motivating factor for them to come forward but recruiting enough Aboriginal families to meet the need is one of the challenges at the moment.”
Research shows by the time people make the call to find out about foster caring they’ve already thought about it as many as seven times, Dr Foote said.
“Often they’re just waiting for the right moment to take on foster children.”
Carers include single people, married and same sex couples, and empty nesters and retirees.
“There aren’t any hard and fast rules about family type but when children are placed there’s a process to make sure the family fits the child and their needs,” Dr Foote said.
“Age is one of those considerations as well as the level of care the family is able to provide and who’s going to suit them best.
“We had one carer, who decided with her husband to specialise in young children with disabilities, and they had expertise in that and felt a real calling to look after those children.”
People inquiring about providing foster care are assessed, and if suitable, are trained before they start their role.
They also have ongoing support from their caseworker.
“It’s a team approach to caring for children who can’t live with their own parents,” Dr Foote said.
Public Service Association regional organiser for the State’s North West Stephen Mears said the shortage of foster carers had put more stress on FACS regional offices which were “desperately short” of community case service workers.
According to the Community Services Caseworker Dashboard for the three months ending in June 2014, the Hunter New England and Southern NSW areas had the most trouble getting caseworkers.
Just 49 of the 65 positions in Southern NSW were filled, and there were 28 vacancies in the Hunter New England, which, with 12,648 at-risk children, needs 301 caseworkers.
“There was an unofficial freeze on recruiting due to budgets and after protests we finally got the figures which showed we were short of a couple of hundred workers across the State,” Mr Mears said.
“The department has now decided to open the chequebook and fill the majority of vacancies that exist.
“It’s getting desperate everywhere at the moment because of staff cutbacks and budget changes,” Mr Mears said.
“There are problems with out-of-home caring where caseworkers place children with foster carers and work with the carers but unfortunately those carers are getting harder to find.”
A rewarding way of life
WHEN Carl and Carmen Learson started their foster care journey they knew it’d be a rewarding experience, but now it’s become a way of life.
The Tamworth couple and their four children Laura, 17, Natalie, 15, Samuel, 14 and Isaac, 11, opened their home to their first foster child in June last year and have since cared for more than 20 children, many who have stayed multiple times.
Having friends who had fostered many children and adopted four prompted the Learson family to get involved.
“We saw an opportunity and it was doable so there was nothing stopping us,” Mrs Learson said.
The Learsons provide emergency, respite and short-term care.
Emergency care is for children who need immediate care, respite care is often to relieve other foster carers and short-term care can see the children stay up to few months until they find a long-term carer or are returned to their birth parents.
“We’ve had children from 15 months to 16 years old,” Mrs Learson said.
“Sometimes you get an hour’s notice or it could be planned months ahead.”
The family has formed close bonds with the foster children, attending birthday parties and graduations long after caring for a child.
“It is difficult to say goodbye and it always will be because you get attached to the children very quickly,” Mr Learson said.
“If they ever need care again they can always come back to us.”
The Learsons have also formed close relationships with fellow foster carers.
“It’s like being in a big fostering family,” Mrs Learson said.
To find out more about becoming a foster carer visit the Fostering NSW website www.fosteringnsw.com.au or call 1800 236 783.
