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

Message from the MinisterChildren and young people are Australia’s most precious natural resource. Every child deserves thechance to be healthy, happy, confident and secure.It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Supporting Carers of Other People’s Children: A handbook onsupport for foster, relative and kinship carers and the children and young people in their care, producedby the Australian Foster Care Association.The Supporting Carers of Other People’s Children handbook contains information on the wide range ofservices, allowances and payments available for carers – as well as for the children and young peoplein their care – across Australia. It also contains positive, yet realistic, stories about the experiences offoster families.Carers make an important contribution to improving the lives of children and young people acrossAustralia. They willingly give their time and care to children and young people in need.The Australian Government recognises the valuable contribution of carers and also understands theyneed support and information to carry out their roles effectively.The role of carers is challenging yet, ultimately, rewarding. Through initiatives, such as the SupportingCarers of Other People’s Children handbook, the Australian Government is continuing its commitment tostrengthen families and improve outcomes for children and young people.The Hon Mal Brough MPMinister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous AffairsPrefaceThis publication represents a significant milestone for the Australian Foster Care Association Inc. (AFCA).A study conducted in 2000–2001 on AFCA’s behalf into the support needs of foster carers has born fruit ina number of ways. Two of these are the events which led up to the creation and acceptance of a NationalPlan for Foster Children, Young People and their Carers, the National Plan for Foster Children, YoungPeople and their Carers (the National Plan) and this publication, funded as an initiative under the NationalPlan, which outlines the payments and allowances available to foster, relative and kinship carers fromboth the Australian Government and state and territory governments.The Australian Foster Care Association Inc. believes that this publication, in conjunction with the NationalPlan and its other outcomes, can only result in better outcomes for the children and young people in care.Along the way they will meet, either directly or through consequential actions and materials, the manyneeds of carers as they strive to do the best they can for children and young people who have a need forsensitive and exceptional care from people who, out of the goodness of their hearts, have volunteered tocare for other people’s children.We thank the Australian Government through the Department of Families, Community Services andIndigenous Affairs for making this publication possible. It does not and can not hold all of the informationthat would be useful, but it will point you in the right direction to get the kind of help that you may need.5