Support for carers

At Foundations Care, we’re committed to providing high-level support to our foster carers and their families and in doing so create a culture of team work.

Our support includes:

Training

Our training equips you with the knowledge and skills to care for a foster child. It provides a solid foundation to help you feel confident in your role, access valuable support networks and better understand the child or young person in your care.

Initial carer training

Our initial carer training is compulsory for every person who wants to become a carer. In this training, you’ll receive up-to-date information about fostering children and child safety. The course covers:

This training is completed over a series of weeks at no cost to you.

Ongoing training

We also offer a range of group, one-on-one and online training programs to further develop your skills and knowledge. Training is provided at various times throughout the year, across Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Our range of courses cover:

All Foundations Care training is free of charge and childcare is available upon request.

Foundations Care is also affiliated with My Forever Family, which offers additional advice and support, alternative training opportunities and other valuable information and resources for foster carers.

24/7 caseworker support

We understand that foster carers can have questions or need help from time-to-time. Your Foundations Care caseworker will be available to take your call at any time of the day or night. Whether it’s advice, a friendly ear, or strategies for a stressful situation, you’ll have on-call support when you need it.

Financial assistance

Foster care allowance

Foster and kinship carers receive a tax-free allowance to support the needs of children in their care. The carers allowance is designed to cover the day-to-day costs of caring for a child. This includes:

Rates of allowance will vary depending on your state or territory, the needs of the child and the number of children in your family group. Respite carers receive an allowance in proportion to the amount of time they provide care for a child.

The carer allowance is not considered ‘payment’ for caring or a source of reimbursement.

High support needs allowance

If the child in your care has high, complex or extreme support needs, your foster care allowance will increase to help with related costs. You may also be reimbursed for substantial extra costs when they form part of the Case Plan for the child in your care.

Establishment allowance

Foster carers may be eligible for a one-off establishment payment at the start of a child’s placement, subject to the state they live in. This payment is to help cover initial costs and is additional to the ongoing foster care allowance. Carers are generally eligible for this assistance when a child is in placement for five consecutive nights or more.

Regular communication

Our foster carers are important to us. That’s why our team invests in building long-term relationships with every foster carer. We send out newsletters with information about foster caring, parenting tips, upcoming local events and foster carer training and morning teas, as well as communicate this information through our casework team, social media and website.

Carer networking

Other carers are often the best form of support. At Foundations Care, we organise regular events, including morning teas and luncheons, where our carers can connect and share their experiences, challenges and successes. These events are also an opportunity for us to access valuable feedback on ways we can improve our care support and a way for our carers to form connections with their local Foundations Care team.

Yearly carer survey

At Foundations Care, we pride ourselves on remaining flexible and responsive. Each year, we send out a survey to get feedback about how we can best support the needs of our foster carers. We’re always looking for ways to continually improve our service and the support we provide our carers.

Home visits

We perform regular home visits to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your family and the child or young person in your care. The visits are usually every month but may be more often if required. These visits provide another opportunity to ask questions or talk through strategies.

Respite care

Foster carers can access respite care, provided it is also in the best interest of the child. Respite care allows foster carers and their families to take a short break from their carer responsibilities. This time allows for family commitments to be acknowledged and supported.

Specialist support

Our specialist staff will work with you and the child or young person in your care where additional support is needed. We offer Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and behavioural support specialists.

Counselling

Our foster carers can access counselling through the Employment Assistance Program (EAP). The EAP is an independent service to assist with personal or life issues, including stress management, anxiety and depression, domestic abuse, financial and legal problems, and concerns about your children. Access is confidential and at no cost.

Make a complaint, ask a question or tell us your ideas!

You have every right to complain should you wish to. We are here to listen and help. Fill out the complaint form or contact Foundations Care directly on 1300 395 005

You can also use this feedback form to ask us anything or give us your ideas about how we can be better. We would love to hear them.

For further information with regards to complaint timeframes and the complaints process from our end, please view our Practice Guide Feedback and Service Complaints click here and our Privacy Policy click here

Get real support for your foster care journey

At Foundations Care, we truly value our foster carers. If you’re considering becoming a carer, our team is here to support you.

Speak to one of our friendly team members today. We’re here to help and answer any questions.

Support for carers