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Foster Care

>> About Fostering

>> Aboriginal Foster Care

>> Would you like to foster a child?

>> Foster Carers describe their fostering

      experiences

"hi, writing to you to share the best experience I've had in my life so far - being a foster carer"

"I think that respite foster care is something more people should think about doing, because one person can make a big difference to a young person in need"

Would you like to become a foster

carer?

If you are interested in fostering a child or would like

further information, please click here and fill

out our online form.

We will get back to you ASAP.

Alternatively, call us and we can have a chat.

Berri .......................(08) 8582-2344

Mount Gambier.........(08) 8724 9211

Murray Bridge ..........(08) 8532-6303

About Fostering

Foster carers help with emergency, respite, short and long term care for children and young people between the ages of 0-18. Children require foster placements for various reasons and each situation is different. Foster carers undergo intensive screening, assessment and training and once approved receive ongoing support, advocacy and training from ac.care.

‘Foster carers are caring, passionate, skilled people, who value children and young people and have room in their lives to have a positive impact on children in need’

All referrals come from the Department of Family and Communities. Stringent assessment and recruitment processes ensure that these families are screened and trained to fulfill their important and valuable role. ac.care staff ensure that children and their foster families are well matched, and that foster families benefit from high-quality support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

"I have always wanted to be

a foster carer, however, my busy life seemed to prevent me from looking into it until I heard about respite care." Tanya shares her journey on becoming a foster carer"

Aboriginal Foster Care

“My hands are in your hands”

Become a Nunga Foster Carer and help kids stay connected with their communities.

ac.care needs your help to care for Nunga kids
We will be there to listen and support you on your foster care journey

Become a Nunga Foster Carer with ac.care

1. Phone ac.care and have a chat with one of our
assessment workers and organise a home visit
with an Aboriginal support worker.

2. ac.care’s assessment and Aboriginal support
workers will visit your home to talk about the
process to become a foster carer.

3. Home visits with our assessment and Aboriginal
support workers to complete your application.

Foster Carers describe their fostering experiences

Listen to foster carers speak about their experiences on ABC's Radio National Life Matters Listen or download the podcast from Monday 11 Jan 2010 9.40am "Someone Else's Child pt1" and Tuesday 12 Jan 9.15am 'Someon Else's Child' pt2

"I have always wanted to be a foster carer; however my busy life seemed to prevent me from looking into it until I heard about respite care..." read more

"....rewarding to be able to make a difference, no matter how little, to children. Challenging, with many different kinds of behaviours (usually brought about by circumstances the child has not control over), working out ways in which everyone can achieve goals, big and small to get through each day."

"each child is different, everyday is different’ and to ‘keep an open mind, be prepared for everything!"

"To see the child respond to the structure and stable life I provided made it worthwhile for me"

 "Hi, writing to you to share the best experience I have had in my life so far. It just happened. I was sitting at home one day over a weekend if I recall watching TV, which is very rare for me. All of a sudden a commercial came on that grabbed my attention,  " They needed foster carers badly for children" This made my mind turn.

I was 25 years old, I had gone as far as I could in my small business, i was paying of my own home and i had spare rooms.  I had a great childhood with fantastic family support still. So being so close to my parents we discussed the changes that it would bring to our lives and i felt more confident in the decision i was about to make.

I under went the training required and found this knowledge to be an eye opener in to how some people really live. Anglican community care provided me with great knowledge on everything possiable and the support they give is fantastic they were always happy to help in any situation.I give credit and have admiration for the staff at Anglican community care S.A Berri office.

Over the five years as a carer i have had some fantastic children that have brought smiles to my face every morning that i woke. The children became a passion, trying to make their lives seem joyful and trying to allow them to be kids. I could see potential in all the children as i looked into their eyes.

It brought so much warmth and joy to watch these children have a so called normal chilhood, Playing, learning, giving and receiving the love and respect everyone needs.

Yes there are always problems but you learn to over come these with the children as it is not their fault they have been put into a situation.

I have found in my experience that if you continually tell the child that you are there always for support they tend to open up a bit more on their feelings and they will succeed.

This has become a passion for me and the joy and fulfillment that you get from helping these children is beyond any words. I urge anyone that has a great caring heart to take this opportunity on as the rewards are beyond belief and better than anything you receive in life."

Karen talks about...being a long term foster carer of siblings as well as doing respite foster care.
"My husband, Tony and I have been fostering for about twenty years, since our youngest daughter was one, so I would also say that we foster as a family. We did take a few years break from fostering while we built our own home.

We started out as emergency and respite carers but now we have three long term children in our care and we also do regular respite care.

As a family, we feel it’s extremely important to keep sibling groups together where possible. Being removed from family and all that is familiar can be traumatic for children, so if they can stay with their siblings, it can really help them through that time.

In the long term, children need to know who their biological family is. Where it’s not possible for the children to be together with their siblings in the same foster care placement, other strategies are put in place and this may mean living separately, while getting as much contact as is possible through respite weekends together, or through access visits with each other.

We will keep on fostering because we have three little boys that rely on us to keep their lives secure, positive and ‘normal’.

Kids who come to stay with us on regular respite get to experience a different lifestyle for a while. One boy comes from a home where he is the only child and his long term carer has some on-going health problems, so when he comes to us we take him camping and other fun things boys like to do.

Other times it can just be that the family needs to go away and the children may prefer or need to stay in town for sporting commitments and as a respite family we can help make this possible.

I think that respite foster care is something more people should think about doing, because one person can make a big difference to a young person in need."