Vulnerable children in need of carers

If you have a spare room in your home and want to become part of the village taking care of vulnerable children in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula, then child welfare agency OzChild wants to hear from you.

The pandemic and the stresses that come with it has seen the need for more foster carers increase significantly. OzChild foster carer growth and development manager Laura Pechey said: “For every 10 phone calls we receive to place children, we sometimes can only place three children with foster carers.”

Ideally, children are placed with carers who live reasonably close to the child’s biological parents, as the aim is to maintain family connection – unless it is deemed unsafe – and ultimately have the family reunited. Children who OzChild don’t have carers for will be referred to other agencies outside their locality. In extreme situations, if emergency care is needed, children may spend the night in a police station or a hotel with a child protection worker.

“We’re looking for people who want to care for vulnerable children and young people,” Laura said. “Kids in foster care range in age between 0-18. There’s always a need for carers for teenagers because often there’s a bit of a stigma attached to them being ‘troubled’ kids.”

It stands to reason that anyone who has grown up witnessing violence and experiencing emotional and physical neglect or abuse, or with parents who have severe mental illness, substance abuse issues or in poverty, would present as ‘troubled’. The effect of being placed in a safe and stable home can have immediate positive effects.

“Foster carers absolutely see growth in these kids. Some kids may take a bit longer but in other kids you see such a difference even in a couple of weeks, some even overnight. Foster carers often give kids their first positive experiences of eating dinner together at a table, or teaching them how to brush their teeth, or being able to have a warm shower and a comfortable bed to sleep in. These little experiences have a lasting impact.”

If you’re drawn to the idea of becoming a foster carer, OzChild will support you to decide the age group of children you would like to care for and the length of care you can provide. There is emergency care, short-term care, long-term care, and respite care, where you might have a child for one weekend a month. You become part of the child’s support team and have access to 24/7 support from OzChild.

“All carers are required to do foster care training to learn how to support children who have experienced trauma. The process takes anywhere between four and seven months. Becoming an accredited carer is a thorough process because we take child safety very seriously. They are the most vulnerable kids in the community.”

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a foster carer, go to www.ozchild.org.au www.dbbookbinders.com.au | P. 1800 446 983 | DBBookbinders