Foster Care Week is a special time to honour the remarkable dedication of foster carers throughout Victoria. Anglicare Victoria proudly supports nearly 1000 foster carers who offer safe, nurturing homes to vulnerable children. As we celebrate Foster Care Week for another year, we extend our gratitude and recognition to all of our valued foster carers.
This year’s theme, “Today’s Carers, Tomorrow’s Future,” beautifully highlights the crucial role that foster carers play in laying down the foundations for brighter, more hopeful futures for the children and young people in their care. Your significant contributions positively impact the lives of vulnerable children in Victoria, ensuring they receive the love and care they deserve.
Every child needs a secure and loving home, and Anglicare Victoria facilitated nearly 3000 foster care placements over the past year, emphasising the essential role of foster carers.
We understand the challenges faced by Victorians, especially our foster carers, amid rising cost of living pressures. Despite these difficulties, your unwavering commitment to providing a supportive environment is truly appreciated! Your resilience and passion serve as an inspiration.
During Foster Care Week, we appreciate the outstanding efforts of our current foster carers through events and celebrations held across local communities across the state. We deeply appreciate our Anglicare Victoria foster carers for their ongoing dedication to enriching the lives of children and young people each and every day!
Thank you from AV CEO Paul McDonald
Thank you from our regional program managers
Hear from our amazing local foster carers
Amber and Ashleigh - Eastern carers for 4 years
As Anglicare Victoria Eastern region foster carers Amber and Ashleigh look back over their fostering journey, there’s only one thing they’d do differently.
“I’d do it sooner,” Amber said. “I know everyone says this about foster care, that it’s rewarding, but it really, genuinely is. It’s taught us a lot about ourselves as a couple and as individuals.
Janine and Ian - Eastern carers for 32 years
When Janine and Ian begun foster caring 32 years ago, they didn’t know they were about to embark on a lifelong journey.
“I thought it might be just good to do for five or so years while my kids were young. Our youngest had just turned five as we were doing the training and they started school the week we got our first placement. We never looked back,” Janine said.
Maya and Gabe - Northern foster siblings
Siblings Maya and Gabe begin their process of welcoming a new foster sibling well before they arrive at their Eltham North home.
“We’ve got a whiteboard up that we usually plan our week on but when we’ve got someone coming we erase that and write their name and ‘welcome’, and we usually make a poster and put it up in their room,” Maya said.
The Paynes - Newly-accredited Foster Carers
For long-time educators and newly-accredited Anglicare Victoria Southern foster carers Matthew and Jana Payne, becoming respite carers has been another way for them to make an impact in their community – outside of the classroom.
“As we say in education, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and respite care is about building that sense of community around children,” Matthew said.
Di and John - Northern Carers for 25 years
Anglicare Victoria foster carers Di and John welcomed brothers Chris and Cloud into their home when the boys were 3 weeks and 10 months old respectively.
A photo of the brothers, now aged 23 and 24, hangs proudly in their kitchen alongside the dozens of other happy snaps dotted throughout the home.
Deanne - Bendigo Carer for 5 years
In the end, all it took for Deanne’s family to take the leap into foster caring was a night on the couch with movie star Mark Wahlberg.
“We had talked about it a few times as a family and, funnily enough, we were sitting watching Instant Family one night. When the movie ended my youngest daughter got online and signed us up to be a foster care family,” she said with a laugh.
Kim and Michael - Western Carers for 7 years
After seven years as an Anglicare Victoria West foster carer, Kim has often had the same conversation with friends and acquaintances, that foster caring was something they’d love to do – “one day”.
“My response is generally ‘what’s stopping you now?’ People don’t realise it’s really flexible,” Kim said.
“It’s been a real joy for us as a family to get to know the two young children who come and stay for respite care. Every time they’re here for a weekend, I feel so thankful we’ve become carers. I’ve seen these kids grow in their relationships with us and develop trust. They enjoy coming to our house now, they burst out of the car and run down the driveway – I am so happy we’ve been able to create a space where they feel comfortable doing that.”
“I would encourage everyone to become a foster carer particularly if you have thought about it for a while or if you are on the fence and don’t know which way to go, I think give it a shot and give it a go. We have been surprised by how flexible and accommodating the program is and it really works around our lives and hasn’t dramatically changed the way we work or go about our day. If anything, it’s just added an extra layer which is really fulfilling and wholesome and something that gets you up in the morning and makes you feel you are really making a contribution.”
“We were empty nesters and felt we could do something to help – these young kids needed a loving and nurturing home and that’s something we could offer. I received some advice from a friend of ours that fosters as well. She told me foster carers are like ‘safe stepping stones’ for these kids – for a brief period of their lives we are able to keep them safe, supported and nurtured, until they are able to take their next step.”
“Becoming a respite foster carer has brought me unexpected pleasure. My goal was to provide safety and fun to the young ones that were in my care. As well as this happening, I've personally received the bonus of their readiness to open up and connect. Having the time to relish the simple pleasures in life through the eyes of a child again has been rewarding”
“We have been carers for a while now, and we have been through some really difficult times, but we are still here, and we are still doing foster care and we wouldn’t want anything to be different. Because it feels right in our hearts.”
“In recent years my role in education has started to move outside the classroom, but it was important for me to be able to continue providing support for young people. Having a stable and loving home can make all the difference to a child and their development, both academically and emotionally. Young people need someone to look out for them and advocate on their behalf, foster carers can do that.”
