The Journey to Care - What's Next?

I’m interested in fostering, so what happens now?

You may have heard it can take many months from registering your interest to actually having a young person join your tribe, and most people want to know why.

Given we know we’re in a foster carer crisis and are in dire need of amazing people to care for vulnerable kids, why can’t it happen quickly?

Well, there are some really good reasons for the time it takes, so let’s talk it through

To some people, it comes as a shock to know that the process to become a carer is not a fast one. In fact, on average, in Australia it can take upwards of 9 - 12 months from start to finish to become a carer. That sounds ludicrous to most – the need for carers is so big, why does it take so long and why are there so many ‘hoops’ to jump through?

The easiest answer for you is, because we have to make sure this is really the right thing for you and your family and that you are the best possible placement for a child. Ensuring the most vulnerable children in our community, kids in care, are safe has got to be the number one priority in this process and the checks and balances that need to happen first can unfortunately take time.

Ideally the process takes no longer than 5 – 6 months and it varies depending on your individual circumstances, the agency you have linked with, how you proceed through your application and availability of workers to support you through that process.

STEP ONE: Registration

Once you’ve registered your interest with Tribe, we connect you with the best suited fostering agency for your family or household. The foster care agency then guides you through the training, assessment and approval processes. Don’t worry, Tribe stays connected to you to provide education and advice, so you are the most informed and most ready to commence this exciting journey.

STEP TWO: Agency contact

Once the agency contacts you, they’ll do one of a few things

- They’ll invite you to an info night to learn more about fostering

- They’ll come to your home at a day and time that suits you to meet in person and talk more about fostering

- They’ll invite you to attend the mandatory training that is needed before you can commence your fostering assessment.

Waiting for a scheduled info night, arranging a home visit that suits everyone involved and linking in with training can all take a few weeks. During one of the first two options, the agency will encourage you to complete the Application form to formally commence your application to foster.

STEP THREE: Application

This involves filling in the formal Application for the Department of Child Safety in QLD; in other states, it’s the individual agencies who you must apply through. The application form involves putting down your details and the details of those in your household, and this prompts the child protection and criminal history checks that must be done first and foremost. Don’t worry, the occasional parking ticket isn’t going to stop you becoming a carer. These checks can take time, potentially 6-8 weeks.

You also need to complete a Blue Card application – a Working With Children Check. You will be supported to do this, along with all Adult Household Members, with your agency and/or Child Safety in QLD. This can take 8-12 weeks, however this is getting quicker as reforms are put in place. Checks can commence while you’re linked into training.

STEP THREE: Mandatory Training

Every State is different, however, in QLD mandatory training is called Pre-Service Quality Care training and involves four modules. These help you learn the foundation of fostering – learning about the child protection system, the roles and expectations of foster carers, what it could be like to become a carer etc. This training often involves meeting an actual carer who can talk with you opening about some of the challenging issues, but equally some of the amazing moments that keep you committed to being a carer.

Training is often run on weekends and can be a few weeks apart, or may be across 2-3 weeknights. It depends on your agency. You have ‘homework’ you need to do as part of this process, to evidence you have taken on board the information from the training. It is not a test; its more just a ‘check in’ to see if you need more information before proceeding.

You can see that with the criminal history and child protection checks, and the training, you may already be at 2-3 months down the track before you reach assessment stage.

STEP FOUR: Assessment

This is a really crucial part of becoming a carer. Being a carer is about much more than simply being a nice person who has a spare room. Vulnerable children in care may have suffered trauma and abuse and they require a certain type of person with a certain type of personality to ensure they are well cared for and supported to help heal from their early life experiences.

The assessment phase is not for the faint hearted. It involves a number of forms but also a number of interviews with an assessor, who will talk with you about your motivation to foster, your support networks, your time and financial situation, your relationships, your parenting approach, your childhood experiences, your stress management and your ability to work as a team, amongst others. This may seem daunting and overwhelming. Don’t worry – assessors are trained to help explain the process and what it involves and to guide you through it, every step of the way.

Carers tell us that the assessment is at times intrusive and intense, as it can take upwards of 10-12 hours of direct interviewing yourself, your family members, referees, work colleagues and medical supports, if appropriate to do so. But those same carers, who end up going on to care for our vulnerable young Tribe members, recognise the need for the assessment to be thorough. It is after all working out if you’re the safest, best and most suitable placement for a child who has already experienced trauma and abuse.

Once your assessment is written, you get a chance to read it and sign it, before it progresses to the Department’s panel, which is made up of a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency group of skilled and experienced practitioners, who ensure the report is detailed and the applicant vetted enough for a Child Safety manager to place a child with. If your application is approved by Child Safety you will:

• receive a letter confirming that you have been approved as a foster carer

• receive a Certificate of Approval as a foster carer; this is for an initial 12 months and requires renewal every 2 years thereafter, upon application and approval

• work with Child Safety and your non-government foster and kinship care service to develop a Foster Carer Agreement detailing the support available to help you fulfil your role, ongoing training requirements and the types of placements you are willing to consider.

If your application is not approved by Child Safety you will receive a letter stating the reasons for the decision and your right of review.

So, if you’re still reading and you are overwhelmed or frustrated by the length and depth of the process, don’t worry, you’re not alone in this. It IS an overwhelming and frustrating process when all you want to do is care for a child in need. But, people who genuinely want to do the best for kids, know that these checks and balances MUST be done to ensure we only get the best and the most appropriate people into the system.

After all, kids in care deserve it!