In the wake of Foster Carers’ week, Anglicare says more foster carers are urgently needed for short-term crisis care.

And what’s more, program coordinator Monique Wakeling says people often unnecessarily exclude themselves as potential foster carers, believing the job requires special knowledge or skills.

"You don't have to be super-human - typically our carers simply love children and want to see their time with them as a positive experience," she says.

The Sydney Anglican Church agency has been providing out-of-home care for 33 years and recruiting carers is an ongoing activity according to program coordinator, Monique Wakeling.

"The difference right now is we have recently lost a number of long-standing families from our pool of carers, due to changing life circumstances.

"One family has taken on the permanent care of a child and another has a teenage daughter doing the HSC and is taking time out to fully support her.”

Steve and Cath’s story

Lane Cove foster carer Steve says the thought of fostering a child never crossed his mind until he woke up one morning to find his wife suggesting it.

Two years later Steve and Cath from St Andrew’s, Lane Cove say the experience has enriched their whole family.

“We contacted Anglicare and had an initial meeting to talk about things. We then went to a series of foster care training evenings for four or five weeks,” says Steve.

“We were parents but we certainly weren’t experts,” he recalls.

“Our daughter was two years old when we started. The training sessions gave you a picture of what being a foster carer was like and the whole process felt like it was the right thing to be doing.”

For Cath, becoming a foster carer was something that had been on her heart for some time.

“I had written it off as something that wouldn’t suit us. I worried about letting the children go and thought perhaps we were too busy. But the idea kept coming back. I felt that it was something God wanted us to do,” she explains.

In the market for mums and dads

On any given day, more than 3,700 children and young people in NSW need foster care for a number of reasons.

Parents may be unable to care for children due to physical and/or mental illness, drug and alcohol dependency, domestic violence or imprisonment. 

In other circumstances children may be neglected or abused and need to be protected.

Cath says just watching children blossom under their care has been a rewarding experience.

“We have an exceptional little boy staying with us. People are just drawn to him and his bright personality,” she says.

“Fostering also enriches your entire family. Having a foster brother has been a great experience for our daughter who will be five years old next month. It was tricky at first, but now they play together all the time. Wherever one is, the other one is too. They would have both been lost without each other.”

However, Steve warns it isn’t an easy process and can be a bit of a roller-coaster ride at times.

“Just because a child has a home, doesn’t mean he or she is ‘cured’. You need to make sure you have support around. Friends and family are important and our church community have been very supportive.”

To find out more about becoming a foster carer through Anglicare’s Out-of-Home-Care program (singles and couples can apply) please contact Anglicare on (02) 9907 1933.