Fostering hope, safety and love for local children at risk
AT just 25, Grace Iacono is providing guidance for young kids who need a safe and loving home amid a critical shortage of foster carers.
The Geelong region resident, who works full-time in the disability field, was one of only seven foster carers accredited in January statewide.
Ms Iacono provides weekend respite and emergency respite for young people, usually aged between nine and 11.
Emergency care provides accommodation for children
and young people and can often be required at a moment’s notice, at any time of the day.
Respite care provides support for a child or young person’s parents, guardians or regular foster carers by enabling them to have a break, and helps build the circle of caring people around a child.
Ms Iacono decided to become a carer after seeing an advertisement on Barwon Child, Youth and Family’s (BCYF) Facebook page last year.
“I thought it was something I could do; I work in the disability sector so I have experience in the field, I had the time with no children of my own and where my life is at I felt I had that time to fully invest,” she said.
Since being accredited as a foster carer in January, Ms Iacono has had several placements.
“It’s been really amazing,” she said.
“You’re meeting them at a time in their life when they’re really starting to understand relationships,” she said.
“You can really make a difference to that child’s life in that point in time, supporting the foundations for adulthood.
“I love being an adult that a child can come to and know that I have their best interests at heart — a lot of children haven’t had those positive relationships before.”
Ms Iacono likes to take the children in her care to do activities that focus on community and social interaction.
Of the seven accredited foster care households in Victoria in January two of those were accredited through BCYF.
These numbers show the critical shortage of foster carers in the Geelong and
Colac regions and statewide.
“The more carers accredited in the Geelong region, the more children and young people who need care in the Geelong region can stay within their area, which provides less disruption to their lives,” BCYF manager out of home care Jo Dumesny said.
Ms Dumesny said, on average, BCYF received three referrals per day to place children and young people with a foster carer.
For more information on BCYF’s foster care program, visit bcyf.org.au/foster-care