JOIN US TO CARE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Mount Gambier residential care home house supervisors Sherri Winter, Lynne Lambert, Maddy Fry and Caroll Saunders are leading a recruitment campaign to attract more residential care workers to support young people.
LIMESTONE Coast social welfare agency ac.care is calling for people to consider a career caring for young people in its residential care homes in Mount Gambier.
A recruitment campaign has been launched to bolster the team staffing the 24/7 homes to meet the needs of an increasing number of children and young people entering state care.
“We have around 15 permanent and casual roles for new staff members to join the team in our residential care homes,” ac.care out of home care manager Angela Wheeler said.
“These roles involve meeting the daily needs of young people, as well as serving as positive role models for youths and children who are unable to live with their biological parents.
“The role can be challenging at times, but there are certainly rewarding careers on offer through these positions, which focus on the wellbeing and development of young people, some of whom have sadly come from traumatic backgrounds and need to build strong and positive relationships to allow them to learn and grow.”
ac.care operates four residential care homes in Mount Gambier, providing opportunities for children in state care to remain in the region, maintaining links to schools, sporting clubs and other connections.
The agency also manages foster care placements across the region and encourages people to open their hearts and homes to children in need of a safe and stable home.
“With an increasing number of children in state care for various reasons, which are no fault of their own, we are facing a situation in which we need more foster carers and more residential care home staff to meet the needs of young people,” Ms Wheeler said.
The agency will hold two information sessions this month for potential candidates for the residential care roles, outlining the requirements, training provided and benefits of working for a not-for-profit organisation.
Potential foster carers are also welcome at the sessions to learn about how they could provide care in their own homes on an occasional, short or long-term basis.
The information sessions will be held on Thursday, February 6, and Wednesday, February 19, at 7pm at ac.care’s head office at 70-72 White Avenue in Mount Gambier.
Visit the ac.care website or email care@accare.org.au for more information about working in residential care or becoming a foster carer.