Foster care is one of the most important ways you can give back to the community, gain a sense of reward and help change a child’s life for the better. There are many reasons why children need to live in a home other than their birth parents’, and this is where foster care is an invaluable service to children who have had a tough start in life.
Victoria recognises the tremendous effort carers make to provide safe, healthy environments for vulnerable children. That’s why the Victorian Government, along with a variety of other family support services, is committed to providing help for foster carers across the state.
Financial reimbursement is just a small part of this support system which is available to all foster carers in Victoria. In this post, Anglicare Victoria, a leading foster carer organisation, explains everything you need to know about foster care payments.
Foster care in Victoria
Foster care in Victoria includes several different forms of care which willing families provide to vulnerable children. This can include long-term, emergency or short-term care of a child until they turn 18. Children are placed in foster care as a result of a court order, or through a voluntary arrangement between the child’s parent and a foster care agency.
Support services for foster carers
Anglicare Victoria provides several different avenues of assistance for foster carers including monthly supervision, annual reviews, ongoing training opportunities and the below services are available to foster carers which include:
- On call and Afterhours Support
Whether you need some guidance on providing foster care or simply have some questions that need answering, Anglicare Victoria is just a phone call away. The team can help you answering questions on foster care, foster care payments and more. For carers providing a placement, afterhours support is also available. - Home visits
Home visits can be scheduled freely and easily. These are in place to give foster carers a chance to seek expert advice in person and have one-on-one support from an experienced professional.
Care allowances
Foster caring incurs a range of day-to-day expenses such as food, clothing, transport and others associated with looking after children.
Therefore, foster care families receive ongoing financial support from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. The care allowances provided by the Government aren’t considered ‘payments’ per se, and therefore are not a source of income for the purpose of tax returns, applying for loans, or being eligible for other government allowances.
Foster carers, kinship carers, permanent carers and special needs carers are all eligible for receiving care allowances from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Allowances are provided fortnightly. You can view the varying allowances for foster care here.
Benefits of foster care support
Victorian foster care families are fortunate to enjoy a system which supports them through many different avenues.
- Ability to provide the best level of care without financial stress
Foster caring presents a range of challenges, but these are often outweighed by the benefits and rewards of caring. In order to effectively provide care for foster children, these challenges should be embraced.
Lifting the financial burden of fostering children allows you to provide the best level of care for vulnerable children. - Only available for those who are suitable for foster caring
The foster family selection process is thorough and comprehensive. The interview and selection process is designed to ensure that applicants are fit for giving care to vulnerable children and are capable of providing a safe environment. It also means that care allowances are only provided to those who are suitable for foster caring, and that all allowances are exclusively going toward expenses incurred by fostering children.
Contact your local agency today
Ready to give back to the community in the most important way possible? Contact the Anglicare Victoria Carer Recruitment Team to get your foster care application underway. With the help and guidance of Anglicare Victoria, you have the ability to change the lives of children who have had a tough start in life.
