Former foster parents warning away others
STRESSED foster parents quitting the system are actively warning people against taking on children and are hampering a desperate recruitment drive.
Exit surveys across the state found most foster parents would not advise a friend to become a carer because of the “way they were treated”.
Nearly 70 per cent of carers in one region cited the behaviour of children as the reason for giving up and a lack of government support was a constant complaint.
Foster Care Queensland carried out the surveys and said negative experiences were being posted on social media as a warning.
“People who have been carers are actively suggesting to people who are considering becoming carers to proceed with caution or not proceed at all due to their experiences which, in turn, is affecting the recruitment of potential carers,” the report said.
It comes amid concerns by Child Safety staff about a lack of carers affecting emergency placements of children as young as 12 months. Forty per cent of foster carers from the southwest region blamed children’s poor behaviour as their reason for quitting and about 30 per cent in other regions said the same.
Others cited the complexity of trauma and medical and psychological issues. The results follow claims young people are being put on behaviourmodifying drugs such as Ritalin because carers could not cope.
Responses to the survey included that foster children contributed to the deaths of almost an entire litter of puppies, attacked other kids, and one stabbed a door. But many responses were positive.
Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman said she had heard workers’ concerns and more training was being given to them and to departmental staff on valuing carers.
“I want to ensure carers have the financial and professional support they need, they get the respite care they deserve and we remove any barriers that stand in the way of them making decisions in the best interests of the children they care for,” she said.