Page 3075 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
take on the parenting responsibilities for children who desperately need their help. Foster carers provide a safe and supportive home environment for children who cannot live with their own families, for a short period or for the longer term.
Foster carers can be single, married, de facto, same-sex couples or relatives. And the requirement of the care is different for each child. Some children may need care for a couple of days; for others it might be months or years. Children and young people may require care as a result of neglect, trauma or abuse, or as a result of poor health, social isolation, disability or financial hardship.
There are respite care givers who provide parents, guardians or other full-time foster carers with a regular break of often only one or two weekends a month. This provides invaluable support to a family who is struggling and provides a back-up support for these children.
There are carers who are available on short notice for emergencies for children who require immediate placement due to safety concerns for that child. These are usually urgent situations where little notice is given to the foster care family. It could be any time of the day or night, on any day of the week. And we have short and medium-term carers. These carers look after children who need a home for a short period of time or even up to two years, generally with the goal of the young person or child returning to their family. Finally, there are some children who are unable to return to reside with their family and will require a long-term foster family.
The care, commitment and support that children and young people receive from their carers are essential to their healthy development and wellbeing, and we know that this is not always an easy task. As I am sure everyone here understands, caring for children and young people in the child protection system can be gruelling and very demanding. It can be an emotional rollercoaster and much of the time involves dealing with childhood trauma. But I stand here today because rarely do we take time to simply acknowledge the work that these families do.
Foster carers provide a stable, safe and nurturing environment while maintaining the child’s identity and helping them make decisions about their lives. They assist the child to observe their religion and preserve links with cultural, racial or ethnic identity. They provide day-to-day care for the child and contribute to the development of the child or young person’s care plan and help them achieve their goals.
They maintain confidentiality and aim to keep a strong connection with the agency and caseworkers. A carer has to ensure that Care and Protection Services is aware of any long-term trauma, neglect or abuse that the child has disclosed, and the carer ensures that the young person or child can go to school, have fun and play like any child should.
I bring this motion today because it is very important that the role of foster carers is not underestimated and it is important that we take the time to acknowledge these members of our community. I also raise this motion today to reiterate that support for foster carers and the organisations that support them is vital. Ensuring that foster carers have the support they need should be a priority.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video