It takes a village
to raise a child.
A B O U T U S
So, who is 'tribe'?
Join the tribe. Change a life.
We're a team of passionate people, who want to make a change, real change, in the lives of young people in the out of home care system in Australia.
​
We often say that it takes a village to raise a child. We know that to be true in all types of families, all over the world. We know that there is no one size fits all approach.
​
We also know that there is a massive shortage of carers in Australia. We know that there are young people who fall through the cracks and miss out on the power of being part of a family. We know that despite millions being spent on advertising campaigns, people still don't know what foster care is.
​
Well, we're here to change that.
​
There are so many different types of carers who play a role in a young person's life, much like there are many different roles in a tribe. We need all types of people; singles, couples, young and young-at-heart, gender diverse, same sex and all inclusive to be part of a child’s ‘village’.
​
Being part of a young person's tribe doesn't mean committing to be a full time carer; there are many other roles such as respite care, short break care, emergency care and more that need to be filled. Whilst we know that we are in desperate need of a lot more full time carers, every role is equally important and can make a difference.
​
So at tribe, our team are here for you. To answer your questions, to guide you, to support you, and to steer you on the right path so that you can be more informed, more connected and more valued on the journey to find your tribe.
​
Take the tribe quiz and find out how you can support, grow, start or join a young person's tribe today.
​
We're Independent
We're not funded or run by government or foster care agencies. We're a truly independent organisation.
We've got your back
Our sole purpose is to help you to navigate what is a tricky, confusing and complex foster care system in Australia. We will be here to guide and support you every step of the way.
​
We know, because we are
We are a dedicated team of child protection practitioners, foster carers and people who have lived experience in the foster care system. We all have one goal. To improve the lives of young people in care.
​
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is foster care?
Foster care is when a child or young person, unable to live at home with their family of origin, resides with a single carer, carer couple or carer family, who provides them with nurturing care, support and safety.
​
Foster carers are recruited, trained, assessed and approved differently depending on which State or Territory they reside in. For example, in Queensland foster carers are recruited, trained and assessed by non-government, not for profit agencies, who go on to provide support for those carers once approved by the state’s child protection department, the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women.
Why foster care?
Fostering is about building a ‘village’ for a child; a ‘tribe’ of people who can provide for a child’s emotional, physical and psychological well being.
You might be in a child’s life for one respite night; you might be their forever family. Children in foster care need a tribe of people who they can lean on, who can mentor and support them, no matter what their journey looks like.
​
There are many different types of foster care such as;
-
Primary Care - Long or Short Term
-
Short Break Care
-
Emergency / Respite Care
You can find out more about types of foster care here.
Who can foster care?
There is no set demographic for foster carers. Typically they are from about mid-20s to mid-60s, but there is not legal age-range limiting your application. If you are stable (in health, life, relationships, finances etc) then you could be suitable.
​
What’s really important are your characteristics. If you are flexible and not rigid in your thinking; a good problem solver; adaptable and able to think ‘on your feet’; you’re a good team player and willing to work with people from a wide range of backgrounds, then you have the capacity to be part of a child’s tribe.
What do other families say about tribe?
JOSH AND MATT
“Using the Tribe Platform, we were able to learn all about Foster care, the different kinds of foster care, and where we could fit in a Young Persons tribe.
​
We decided to become full time foster carers, and tribe has been our support network from day 1. We're so glad we took the time to learn and understand the challenges we might face, we feel much more confident with our family knowing that we are prepared for the good times and the hard times.