Annual Report 2010 - Berry Street

11
What happens when a
child can’t stay with their family?
Children and young people who cannot live safely
with their family need a home where they can be
nurtured and given the help they need to recover
from the abuse or neglect they have suffered.
Sadly, the number of children who need to be
removed continues to grow. The Ombudsman’s
Report into Out of Home Care (May 2010)
estimated that the system is already 367 ‘places’
short for the children who need them. Without
additional government investment, this will grow
to 1,048 by 2013/14. The Victorian Government
has increased its allocation, but it’s clearly not
enough. We will be asking both parties to commit
to properly funding the increased demand.
If the State intervenes to remove a child, it must
ensure the child gets the help he or she deserves.
Kinship Care
When children can’t stay at home, the next best
option is usually a relative. Kinship care is the
fastest growing form of Out of Home Care.
We believe that community service organisations
are much better placed to support kinship carers.
We, therefore, welcomed the decision to transfer
750 children in kinship care from the Department
of Human Services.
Berry Street now provides kinship care in the
Gippsland and Hume regions. Our job is to ensure
that kinship carers get the financial, practical
and emotional support that they need to provide
the best possible home for their child. We also
assess the child’s needs, help them process what’s
happened, liaise with the school and link them
into any other services they require.
Foster Care
Foster carers are one of our community’s most
precious resources – volunteers who take in other
people’s children for as long as they need it.
Although we recruited another 58 new carers,
overall we lost 46 households. Unfortunately,
this is consistent with trends in Victoria and the
rest of Australia and means that without a radical
re-thinking, foster care will continue to shrink.
Given the increasing proportion of very young
children who need Out of Home Care, this would
be disastrous. It would also cost governments a
lot more. We know much of what needs to change
and we have ideas from Anita Pell’s Churchill
Fellowship. Achieving new models of foster care
is a key strategic priority for Berry Street.
Janice is a 67 year old
grandmother who is caring
for her two grandchildren,
Tim (6) and Pat (4). Janice’s
daughter has longstanding
substance use issues and
is currently in prison for
assault. While Janice is deeply
committed to the children,
she knows she will need a lot
of practical and emotional
support. Through our new
kinship care program, we will
support Janice and ensure that
she and the children get the
help they need.
Nine year old Robin has seen
far too much tragedy in his young
life. His mother died two years
ago and soon after his younger
sister died in an accident. Robin’s
father was devastated and
couldn’t cope, so Robin went to
live with Josie, his grandmother.
Although grief-stricken herself,
Josie didn’t hesitate to take
Robin. Robin was soon diagnosed
with developmental delay and
significant hearing loss. Once
he had his hearing aids, he
blossomed at school. Josie joined
our carer support group and was
keen to learn what she could do
to help Robin. Two years on and
Josie has guardianship of Robin
and both continue to thrive in
their love for each other.
Twins Paul and Peter didn’t
have an easy start in life. Born
at 26 weeks, their four older
siblings were already in care
and their dad was in prison.
Initially the focus was on their
precarious health, but as the
twins grew stronger the big
question became – who will
take on these boys and give them
the childhood they deserved?
Fortunately, experienced foster
carers Alex and Anya stepped in.
They were already caring for
an older sibling group from the
same cultural background and
were aware of how important
this would be for the boys
to develop a strong sense of
identity. With predictable and
consistent routines, love and
regular massage, both twins
are now healthy and happy.