Urgently needed: foster carers

DURING 2014 and 2015, over 3,500 children in New South Wales required foster care and 11,500 nationwide. Plenty more remain in need today. Included in this demographic are Aboriginal children who not only need foster care for the needs of daily life but also connection to family and culture.

One organisation which takes the role of foster care for Indigenous children very seriously and offers support throughout the foster care period, is Life Without Barriers.

“We’re one of the leaders in the foster care sector so we want to play a part in shaping the future and forging a way forward in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Life Without Barriers carer coordinator Jeannine Farrell said.

“We support and adhere to the Aboriginal placement principles. For all children in outof-home care. We know past hurt and suffering from government policy has been caused to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and we’re committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being able to raise their families in their own communities as part of their own culture.

“The fundamental goal is to preserve the Aboriginal children’s connection to their culture and community. For Aboriginal children who can’t remain in the care of their parents, we can place with kin, and family in their network and still keep them connected to country and culture,” she said.

Sometimes, however this will mean foster carers or parents won’t be from the Indigenous community.

“If we can’t manage to keep children within the family or community, or no-one comes forward from that community then we go outside to another Aboriginal community. We always want to maintain the link to Aboriginal community and culture,” Jeannine said.

“You may not be an Aboriginal person but you’re more than willing to provide care for a child with an Aboriginal background or any background, so it’s finding out about what they do know, about Aboriginal community, about networks that they have, whether they can work with the Aboriginal community and help them look after that child, and if they don’t have that network, are they willing to find that network and we can help them with that.”

Carers range in age and cultural background and can be single, same sex couples, defacto or married couples, with or without their own children, skilled or willing to learn.