Supporting Carers Of Other People's Children - Australian Foster ...

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Bianca, former child in care‘By that stage I felt I was never going to get what I wanted or needed from her, so I cut mylosses. I was pretty emotionally detached before I was even removed from her.’‘I still don’t know what was going on with her, or why she was like that. But I knew back thenthat what was happening wasn’t right, and that hasn’t changed.’Over the next five years, Bianca had a multitude of foster care placements – none lasting morethan eight months. The main problem, particularly in the first few years, was that her motherkept fighting to get her back, contesting Bianca’s removal through the courts, and in any otherway she could think of.Bianca felt voiceless while all these processes surged around her. ‘Most of the families, I’d haveliked to stay with them. I was a good kid, stayed out of trouble, good at school, pretty quiet,compared to the average foster kid. You don’t usually get a compliant young person who wants tofit in. So I was a rarity, and families wanted me.’She also says she was not listened to for a long time aboutaccess visits, either. ‘My mother was always really involved,but I was always wanting the access visits to stop, because Ididn’t want to have anything to do with her. Eventually I gotthat choice, but I had to really fight for it.’BiancaWhen Bianca was 11, two social workers came toher school and asked her to talk about what wasgoing on at home. Her two older sisters had lefthome, so there was just Bianca and her mother,and someone had reported her mother for abuse.A picture of neglect and cruelty emerged.‘I’d be left by myself for long hours. I didn’tknow what my Mum was doing. I’d have to fendfor myself. Once she made me watch while shebeat my dog to death with a stick. She’d hit me,or hurt things I loved.’Bianca has one messagefor all parties in fostering:‘Listen to the child’.Bianca puts all that down to a combination of inexperiencedyoung social workers who she suspects were easily manipulated by her mother, and the stategovernment policy focus on re-integration with birth parents.She has good memories of most of her many foster parents. ‘For me it was having people I couldcount on. Even though sometimes they made mistakes and didn’t always give me what I needed.’This, she says, was due simply to misunderstandings. ‘I couldn’t always communicate what I wasthinking. But at the end of the day they really loved me and cared about me. Some I stayed incontact with after I left. I’d give them a call, send them a Christmas card, tell them how I wasgoing.’The carers helped her in ways that she was not aware of at the time. ‘I felt completely unlovablefor a long time. I couldn’t believe someone could genuinely care for me. Some of the carershelped me with that, and I don’t feel that way now.’Bianca also has some tips for carers. ‘Kids can tell when you’re not being straight with them. Ifyou’re a foster carer but your heart’s not in it, kids can tell. And it’s important to treat all kidsin the house the same. Obviously it’s different with your own kids, but do your best to treateveryone fairly. If one’s not allowed to watch TV, the other shouldn’t either, otherwise you’re leftwith that feeling “It’s because I’m a foster kid.”’Eventually she was assigned to a ‘fantastic social worker’ from another region, who she saysproperly understood her needs. When a placement broke down when she was 16, she was giventhe opportunity to live in a flat, with some support.She did that, and managed to get through school. She is now at university on a scholarship,studying psychology and politics, although she has deferred to do some travel.Bianca is not sure what career she will pursue, only that she wants to be self-sufficient. ‘I want tobe able to look after my own kids – knowing there’s food on the table, shoes on their feet. I didn’thave those things when I was a kid.’28
Accessing Legal AidPeople seeking legal aid apply through the legal aid commissions in their state or territory. Thecommissions provide a range of services for criminal, family and civil law matters, including providinginformation and advice, primary dispute resolution, and granting aid for legal representation. Legalaid can be sought for various matters arising under Australian Government (Commonwealth) andstate or territory government laws. Providing legal aid for matters arising under Commonwealth lawis funded by the Australian Government under agreements with the legal aid commissions and stateand territory governments. Each state and territory government funds legal aid services for mattersarising under its own laws.Access to some legal aid services is subject to means (income and assets) and merits tests, and not allapplicants are eligible for a grant of aid. Successful applicants may be required to pay a contribution(based on an applicant’s financial situation and the area of law) to the cost of resolving their matter.Legal services funded by legal aid are provided using both lawyers employed by the legal aidcommissions and private legal practitioners.For more information about legal aid, contact the legal aid commission in your state or territory.Australian Capital Territory Phone 1300 654 314www.legalaid.canberra.net.auNew South Wales Phone 1300 888 529(LawAccess NSW) www.legalaid.nsw.gov.auNorthern Territory Phone 1800 019 343www.ntlac.nt.gov.auQueensland Phone 1300 651 188www.legalaid.qld.gov.auSouth Australia Phone 1800 188 126www.lsc.sa.gov.auTasmania Phone 1300 366 611www.legalaid.tas.gov.auVictoria Phone 1800 677 402 or 03 9269 0234www.legalaid.vic.gov.auWestern Australia Phone 1300 650 579www.legalaid.wa.gov.auNot eligible for Legal Aid for a child care andprotection matter?If you are not eligible to receive Legal Aid for a child care and protection matter, you may be able toaccess a pro bono assistance scheme operated by your state or territory law society, the Courts, BarAssociation or a community legal centre.Pro bono assistance is work undertaken by a legal practitioner at significantly reduced or no cost, andmay include providing legal advice, assistance with preparing legal documents, mediation of disputes,checking agreements and representation in court.Pro bono schemes usually operate under guidelines, which set out who may be eligible to receiveassistance and what types of matters may be considered. If you are applying for legal aid, the schemesusually require that:• you have a genuine legal problem• you are unable to obtain Legal Aid (Legal Aid can provide a letter to say this)• you clearly do not have the ability to pay for legal services (often determined by a means test)• the matter falls within the areas of law assisted by the pro bono scheme (child care and protectionmatters are often covered), and• the matter has a reasonable prospect of success.Applications usually take a minimum of two weeks to be determined, so you should lodge your applicationas early as possible.If your application is eligible for pro bono assistance, every effort will be made to try to match yourmatter with an appropriate legal representative. However, there is no guarantee that assistance canalways be given.Even if your application is unsuccessful, many law societies and community legal centres are still able toprovide you with advice about obtaining a free initial consultation from an appropriate legal source.For more information or assistance, phone your state or territory law society orphone your foster care association.29
Page 1 and 2: Australian Foster CareAssociation I
Page 3 and 4: ContentsPreface 5Roles of the Austr
Page 5 and 6: Message from the MinisterChildren a
Page 7 and 8: Australian Government payments anda
Page 9 and 10: Carer AllowanceCarer PaymentCarer P
Page 11 and 12: Initial exemptions are for up to 12
Page 13 and 14: Documents that Centrelink in each s
Page 15 and 16: Laurel,LaurelJennie’s MumNone of
Page 17 and 18: Child SupportSchemeThe Australian G
Page 19 and 20: Defining featuresof Australian fost
Page 21 and 22: • the relevant court orders, if a
Page 23 and 24: Caring forIndigenous kidsMore foste
Page 25 and 26: Elizabethzabeth, veteran carer of b
Page 27: Organising foster children’s pass
Page 31 and 32: ClaireClaire, former child in careI
Page 33 and 34: Foster children and Medicare cardsT
Page 35 and 36: threshold of $500 in a calendar yea
Page 37 and 38: The importance of maintaining links
Page 39 and 40: ABSTUDYABSTUDY is available to Abor
Page 41 and 42: MatthewMatthew, young person in car
Page 43 and 44: Transition to Independent Living Al
Page 45 and 46: Rapp Care Song - Kerry KempWhat doe
Page 47 and 48: • Galilee Family Placement Scheme
Page 49 and 50: Ongoing support for foster carersSp
Page 51 and 52: RecruitmentFACS always welcomes cal
Page 53 and 54: Following their initial approval as
Page 55 and 56: throughout the year. Training usual
Page 57 and 58: Tasmania support informationThe Dep
Page 59 and 60: Victoria support informationThe Dep
Page 61 and 62: egional approval panel approves car
Page 63 and 64: progressing a qualification for fos
Page 65 and 66: IndexAAboriginal and Torres Strait
Page 67 and 68: FeedbackThis publication is the fir

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