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Out-of-Home Care

Foster Care

Figures:

286

Children and young people in foster care

316

Dedicated foster carers

14

Children and young people in 5 residential care units

Out-of-Home Care

 

All children and young people have the right to be raised in a safe, loving environment and have access to the services and support they need to enhance their quality of life. Some families are unable to provide the protection, safety and support children and young people deserve. In these cases, children and young people live in accommodation outside their family homes. This is known as Out-of-Home Care or Foster Care. CareSouth offers Foster Care services in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Griffith, Deniliquin and Queanbeyan and there are currently 286 children and young people in Out-of-Home Care, ranging in age from 0-18.

 

CareSouth employs 26 caseworkers to provide around-the-clock support to those in Out-Of-Home Care, along with foster carers and families.

 

CareSouth has 316 Foster Carers who provide a safe and loving environment for children and young people who are often unable to live at home due to abuse or neglect, parental mental illness or drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence or general family breakdown.

 

Foster Care can be for just a few nights, a couple of weeks or months or for many years. Foster Carers come from a range of backgrounds; they are young couples, same-sex couples, single people, have children of their own or are retired. Foster Carers who provide a stable, loving home with structured routines and firm boundaries can make a huge difference to the life of a vulnerable child or young person.

Residential Care

 

CareSouth provides residential accommodation to children and young people aged 12 to 18 who may not be able to live in their family environment due to their complex support needs.

 

CareSouth has 14 young people in Residential Care across five residential units in the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Griffith and Queanbeyan.

 

Highly qualified, experienced and dedicated staff provide a consistent and predictable environment that allows children and young people in Residential Care to feel valued and safe through the development of self-esteem, living skills and independence.

 

CareSouth residential staff work intensively with a clinical psychologist to provide a therapeutic, trauma-informed care environment. Staff also work collaboratively with other professionals, agencies and stakeholders to achieve the best outcome for the children and young people in our care. The service provides intensive case management to assist each young person to work towards an improved independent living option.

Driver Mentoring program

 

CareSouth has identified that paying for driving instruction is a major barrier to independence for young people in residential and foster care. Young people in care have little to no capacity to achieve the 120 hours driving experience needed for their licence.

 

In response to this roadblock, CareSouth has developed an internal Learner Driver Mentoring Program to assist young people to reach their required driving hours by providing mentors who are trained in driving instruction through Wollongong City Council. This allows young people in our programs to gain driving experience and recorded log-book hours.

 

Since the program was launched 12 months ago three young people in residential care have acquired their provisional licence.

 

The Learner Driver’s Mentor Program trains mentors to take clients with their L’s out for lessons once they have had 10 hours with a qualified driving instructor. Mentors complete the Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers workshop and transfer this knowledge to the young people they are teaching.

 

This is an innovative program which aligns with the Safer Systems approach by providing education and information to Learner Drivers. The program helps young people understand and avoid risks and crashes by giving them the skills and tools to be safe drivers.

 

A GoPro records all driving lessons with a young person and mentor and this is used to evaluate gaps in their skills set and any further instruction required.

 

The Learner Driver Mentoring Program is an initiative in both the Illawarra and Shoalhaven to help young Learner Drivers in our Out-of-Home Care program receive the training and tools needed to keep themselves and others in the community safe while on the road.

Regional Growth

 

This year our regional growth has been significant, particularly in our Southern and Western regions. CareSouth’s footprint grew from two offices – Deniliquin and Griffith – in our Western Region to three, with an office opening in Wagga in July 2016. We also expanded across the NSW border and opened an office in Deakin, ACT.

 

The infrastructure growth aligns with CareSouth’s vision to strengthen our relationships with families and communities in more remote locations.

 

Figures from the Department of Family and Community Services showed a 373 percent rise in the number of children taken into care in the past two decades, significantly increasing the need for foster carers.

 

CareSouth has helped to fill that need through consistent growth of staff and recruitment of carers in the Western region. Our Out-Of-Home Care programs in Deniliquin, Griffith and Wagga have provided safe, nurturing environments for over 75 children and young people in care in the past financial year.

 

Tracy Mayo, Regional Manager for our Southern and Western Regions last financial year, believes the significant growth in our more remote areas comes from “a generosity of spirit” in the communities in which we work.

 

“The Western Region is the most generous community I’ve ever worked in,” said Tracy. “Having a community and carers responding to the needs of the children and young people we work with has allowed us to build a strong presence in those communities. If it wasn’t for the massive growth in our number of carers in the Western Region we would not have been able to build such strong, cohesive teams with very little staff turnover.”

 

“The ongoing growth and development of our teams in the Western Region has been a highlight for me. Our caseworkers work alongside the carers in an inclusive manner, and support the natural family and significant people in children’s lives to remain connected.”

 

CareSouth is committed to strengthening the capacity of the sector and community to support children and young people through our increase in infrastructure, staff positions and recruiting, assessing and training foster carers.

What’s it like to be a Foster carer?

 

Tarriann is a single mum, has a teenage son and works full-time running a child care centre in the Shoalhaven. Despite her busy life she found time to become a CareSouth foster carer.

 

It was a decision which changed her and her son’s life for the better. Tarriann is a respite carer and has welcomed four families into her home over the past two years.

 

“I find being a carer so rewarding,” she said. “I did it to make my life and my son’s life richer. We needed it as much as the children needed carers. My son had to learn to share things; people, places and time. And the children in our care needed someone to spend time with them, to listen to them.”

 

Tarriann admits that being a carer is a steep learning curve and exhausting at times.

 

“But that was because I thought I had to entertain the children all the time. I realised I don’t have to do that. They are regular kids who just need guidance, love and support,” she said.

 

“It’s really about building relationships and understanding who they are as individuals,” said Tarriann. “All my kids have been different but spending time with them, getting to know them and adapting to their needs is so rewarding, for me and for the children. I’ve never had a child who doesn’t run in and want a cuddle.”

 

Tarriann said it is not unusual for her son and the children in her care to bicker like siblings but when the kids tell her about a squabble she’s “glad to hear it” because it means they’re functioning like a normal family.

 

“For us it was all about normality. My son has never had to share me until I became a carer. Being raised in a house that revolves around you is not reality. The benefits have been emotionally rewarding for everyone,” she said.

 

Tarriann is well aware of the demand for foster carers – there are more than 20,000 children and young people in foster care in NSW alone and around 660 new carers are needed – and she has experienced first-hand how carers can help children get back on the path to a positive future.

 

“I tell everyone I come across to just do it, become a foster carer. There are so many different roles you can play, who doesn’t have one weekend a month to make a difference to a child’s life?”

 

“CareSouth foster carers are everyday people,” said CareSouth CEO Deb Tozer. “Almost anyone can become a foster carer. What matters is that you can provide a stable, caring family environment for a child or young person. We provide ongoing support and training to our foster carers so they can support those who need it most.”

foster-carer

What’s it like to be in Foster Care?

 

“Am I going to like it here? Will they love me? Will I belong?”

 

These are the questions Jess* would ask herself each time she stood at the door of a potential new home, preparing herself to meet a new family.

 

Jess has spent the past decade in foster care and in that time has had at least half a dozen placements. She recalls some placements fondly – the ones where she felt safe, loved and secure – but others she would prefer to forget.

 

“What I wanted from my carers was love and support, knowing I had someone to talk to if I ever had any worries and concerns. That’s the thing I craved the most,” said Jess. “Sometimes I did get that but other times I didn’t.”

 

Isolation and loneliness plagued Jess during some of her placements, along with the feeling of never being good enough.

 

“At one of my placements I didn’t even ask to see friends outside of school because my carers would always make me feel bad for it, so I’d lie to my friends and say I was busy,” said Jess.

 

A stuffed tiger with one eye missing became Jess’s constant companion and her most treasured possession. She carried that tiger with her into each new home in the hope it would help comfort her in her unfamiliar surroundings.

 

“Walking into a new home felt so daunting,” said Jess. “You don’t know what to expect as you haven’t met these strangers before, you have so many thoughts and worries.”

 

Fortunately Jess found the safety, security and love she craved in many of her placements and this helped set her on a path to success.

 

Jess is 19 now and has aged out of the foster care system. She has completed her HSC, moved into her own house, has a part-time job, her licence and her own car. Jess is studying Community Services at TAFE so she can help children and young people like her navigate the foster care system.

 

Throughout all the change and upheaval Jess has faced, she has remained determined and resilient. She has built herself a happy, meaningful and productive life. And her tiger still has pride of place in the room that she now calls her own.

 

“Foster care taught me that you’re not alone, that you have caseworkers and people to help and support you,” said Jess.  “It also taught me that I could be independent and stand on my own two feet. Going through it all has made me want to give back to others in similar situations, making sure they have the best upbringing possible.”

 

*Name has been changed

Jamberoo Fun Day

 

Every year children, carers and caseworkers come together from across CareSouth’s wide geographic footprint to enjoy the Out-of-Home Care fun day at Jamberoo. The action-packed event gives carers, caseworkers and young people an important opportunity to bond.

 

“Whilst not difficult, planning for Jamberoo has its challenges,” said Shoalhaven OOHC team leader Lisa Loveday. “We are required to pre-purchase tickets and there is considerable cost to this. It’s also not easy feeding 150 hungry people. We like to keep it simple and the cost down by doing the catering ourselves and our army of caseworkers make the annual BBQ lunch look easy.”

 

Illawarra OOHC caseworker David Allman said activities like the Jamberoo fun day are an important part of the support CareSouth caseworkers offer to the children, young people and carers with whom they work.

 

“It’s normalising the experience for kids in care because they meet others like them. It is breaking down silos, for caseworkers, children and carers because we get to meet people from across CareSouth,” said David.

 

“It really is a worthwhile day,” said Lisa. “It’s lots of fun and a reminder of the simple pleasures in life.”

Foster Care Awards

 

At CareSouth we support a diverse mix of children and young people who are working hard in school, taking part in and excelling in their chosen activities, contributing to their community and making progress in their lives.  Each year, in recognition of this, our Illawarra Out-Of-Home Care team hosts an Awards Day (for 0-10 year olds) and Awards Night (for 10-18 year olds) to honour their achievements throughout the year. This year we hosted our fourth annual awards night to recognise and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of children and young people from our program.

 

Each child and young person is presented a certificate and prize in recognition of their individual triumphs in Sport, Education or Personal Achievement. The awards are presented based on nominations from significant people in the young person’s life, such as carers, mentors, teachers and caseworkers who are asked to think about the strengths of each child and young person.

 

We also recognise individuals who have made significant progress each year with an outstanding effort award for one specific young person in each category. And at the end of each night we announce the recipient of the Jim McEwan Award – named after CareSouth’s founder. This special award recognises the all-round achievements of one particular young person who has stood out from the crowd.

 

The awards are a way to not only honour individual strengths, effort and perseverance in pursuit of personal goals, but to also forge stronger relationships with the children, young people and carers whom we support.

 

The celebrations provide an opportunity for caseworkers and carers to connect and engage in conversations in a relaxed environment and to work collaboratively to build self-esteem in children and young people through rewards and praise.