Foster Care Victoria

While Australians are reeling from a youth week dominated by confronting documentaries and reports about youth homelessness, our American friends are also amplifying stories of homeless. This blog/forum has a series of 5 minute interviews and is well worth some time to explore.

Lizzy, a Foster Care Victoria Blog reader has rightly highlighted the fantastic work of the CREATE Foundation, who support young people in care and also those who are about to leave care.

The challenges confronting teenagers when they leave care were raised in the SBS Insight forum back last month. These challenges are really significant as the young people involved in the program conveyed.

CREATE is also setting up opportunties for young people leaving the system to share their stories through a blog. This seems to be a new facility and I would encourage all young people who’ve experiences foster care to get involved.     

The Black Balloon, starring our very own Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward, Rhys Wakefield and the lovely Toni Collette, is a raw and honest though somewhat confronting insight into a family’s struggle with Autism. This little Aussie film is showing throughout Melbourne at Nova, Villiage, Hoyts and other indpendendant cinemas.

Autism can be a very challenging disorder for families to face, so having access to supports such as respite and foster care programs is an enormous benefit.

Contrary to popular associations of disability wheelchairs, a significant proportion of children in foster-types of disability support programs are affected Autism as well as additional health issues such as epilepsy.     

If you’ve seen The Black Balloon, tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

Last night SBS’s Insight program explored questions around Child Protection and included a range of panellists, including former foster children or children who had in some way experienced the system, representatives from DOCS and DHS, case workers and psychologists. What fascinated me about this particular program was that mostly, there was a general consensus on a number of points (which doesn’t often happen on Insight!). These were that: 1) the system is not coping in most states and is therefore not meeting the needs of children 2) Victoria seems to have the strongest tradition and current system for preventative action 3) More funding is needed 4) the decisions about whether or not to remove a child are extremely difficult, so much so that two adult brothers still do not agree on whether they themselves should have been removed.

The program succeeded in amplifying to a larger audience these points, all of which anyone who works in the field could have reeled off in their sleep. I was disappointed however that the problem of the diminishing supply of foster carers was not mentioned. Even when Jenny Brockie seemed to push for fewer notifications to be left investigated and more children to be removed, no one raised the issue of a shortage of foster homes to place them in.

Brockie’s recurring question, “What are we going for the kids at risk tonight”, can only be answered in part by state departments, the bulk of the answer must come from us as a nation in terms of funding, and we as citizens of a community and our role in supporting families and children.

In the end, and in the words of a former foster child, what ‘kids at risk’ need is “even when I was, you know, a bloody annoying kid … to know that yes, there is someone out there that actually cares about them, that actually loves them and is not going to give up on them“.  

Kids at Risk can be watched online, and is also repeated on Firday at 1:30 and Monday at 3:30.   

Statistics are one thing, but hearing individual stories of children needing foster care is quite another. Jake (11)and his brother Kevin (15) are currently living in Children’s Residential Care, and would greatly benefit from moving into full-time foster care, either together or separately.  

Jake goes to school in the Yarra Ranges and enjoys riding his BMX, swimming and camping. Kevin, who goes to school in Manningham likes playing basketball and listening to music. Kevin also has epilepsy and an intellectual disability.  

They’ve both experienced a lot of trauma but they’re learning to control their behaviour, changes which are expected continue to improve once they have both settled into positive environments with strong role models.   

These boys will need support not only from full-time carers, but also respite carers one weekend a month, and other volunteers to support them through mentorship in order for foster care really work for them.  

Suitable carers for Jake and Kevin are being actively searched for in these communities, so if you live in Melbourne’s Eastern Region and could offer any of these types of support to Jake or Kevin, or would like to find out more email fostercare.eastern@anglicarevic.org.au. 

This interview was posted in March 2007 over at Imagineif, and contains some personal reflections of a young woman who has aged out of care and is preparing to meet her mother for the first time in many years.   Thanks for your story ‘Georgie Girl’.

Last Sunday “60 Minutes” screened an inspiring story about Jackson, a 21 year old with a severe form of autism.   Jackson grew up with two families - his birth family, and a foster family that provided much needed respite for around fourteen years.  The story highlights the incredible contribution foster families can make in the lives of children and their families.  Click here to read a transcript or watch the video.

Life Matters on Radio National is currently running a series on “The Third Sector”; Australia’s band of volunteers. This morning’s discussion featured a letter from one of Melbourne’s foster grandmothers (click here for a link to listen online or download). She takes us on her journey through foster care as supporting her daughter’s decision to become a full-time foster carer. It shows her initial inhibitions, and her questioning of why her daughter would want to shake up their lives with a new and “challenging child”. But, she concludes by reflecting that, 3 years on, it has been a wonderful and rewarding experience for all involved. Her journey really demonstrates just how much fostering touches the whole family. Do listen, her story is well worth hearing.   Jess…