Being a foster carer is one of the most important and meaningful contributions you can make to our community. Anglicare Victoria offers different types of foster care placements to suit your lifestyle and needs. You can choose to provide just one type of foster care or many. You can also change the type of care you provide throughout your caring journey.
Respite Care
This type of foster care is provided on a regular basis, usually for one or two weekends per month or for up to two weeks during school holidays. It’s often used to provide full-time carers with regular respite and to provide stability and support to a child’s placement.
Emergency Care
Foster care provided at short notice, often for just one or two nights in an emergency or crisis situation. If you work full-time or part-time you can elect to provide emergency care just on a weekend or on certain days of the week. Watch the video below of Foster Grandma Kim who is ready to care at any time.
Short-Term Care
Typically varies from a few days to a few months, depending on the needs of the child and when it is appropriate for the child to return to their family. Children and young people requiring short-term care are often reunified with their parents or may be placed with extended family at the end of the foster care arrangement.
Long-Term Care
Long-Term care is provided where a child or young person cannot return home for some time. Sometimes a child or young person requires long-term care for up to two years or more or occasionally until they turn 21. Read Laura and Jake’s amazing experience of fostering teenager Ben long term.
Teenage Foster Care
This type of care provides young people aged 13 to 17 with a safe and loving home and links them in to other support services including counselling, family mediation, financial assistance, or help with school. You can choose to provide emergency, respite, short or long term care to young people in the program. Having a supportive adult helps teenagers develop a sense of self-worth and confidence, and a belief that they can have a bright and happy future.
Sibling Foster Care
This is where you provide care for two or more children from the same family. Unfortunately, a child needing foster care often has a sibling or siblings also needing foster care. Keeping siblings together is critical for maintaining their close bond and attachment, and prevents further complex trauma as a result of them being separated. Read about Foster Carers Jenny & Tony who took on four siblings.
Therapeutic Foster Care
Therapeutic foster care is where foster carers are provided with additional specialist training and support. They work closely with a team of professionals to provide care for children and young people who need therapeutic responses to their specific needs.
"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."
Foster Care Info Sessions
Interested in learning more about foster care and what’s involved? Attend a virtual info session from the comfort from your own home. We will present the different types of foster care, the roles and responsibilities of carers and the process to becoming a carer. The session is designed to help you decide if fostering is something you would like to explore further.
