By Dewi Sherry
There is an urgent need for emergency foster care for children throughout the western suburbs.
MacKillop Family Services is looking for people in the Melton and Moorabool area to join their new foster care program, First Call Foster Care.
MacKillop Family Services is an after hours service which takes calls from police and child protection teams when an emergency placement is needed for a child or young person.
Carers in the new program will be part of a roster system to ensure that each evening and weekend there is home-based care placement available for children who are unable to live at home with their family because of a significant risk of harm or abuse.
Team manager Darren Rose said a shortage of emergency carers is the team’s biggest problem.
“We just don’t have enough homes in the region for the numbers of young kids who need help in circumstances that are beyond their control,” he said.
“To make things worse, often the only home we can find is out of their region. The stress and trauma from a placement breakdown is significant enough without a child feeling further isolated by being taken away from everything that is routine and familiar to them.”
Carers in the program would be rostered on for one week every month, with three weeks off. For the week they are on roster, they will receive financial compensation whether they have a child in their care or not. In addition, for each night the carers look after a child, they will receive reimbursement per child.
This new model is suitable for people who are not caring for other children or young people, who can commit to being available for 24 hours a day for the week they are on roster and who have a partner who can act as a supporting carer.
“This First Call Foster Care model will mean that we have more home-based care emergency places for older children as currently, most existing emergency care is only for babies.
“The reality is that we have kids of all ages who, through no fault of their own, need a safe place to stay,” Mr Rose said.
Find out how you can help with First Call Foster Care, at enquiry@mackillop.org.au or call 1300 791 677.
