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

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NORTHERN TERRITORYNorthern Territory support informationThe Family and Children’s Services (FACS) programin the Department of Health and CommunityServices (DHCS), has the statutory responsibilityfor the delivery of care and protection servicesto children and young people. Once a child isidentified as being in need of care, FACS makesarrangements to locate a suitable placement.The majority of children are placed in family basedcare, which includes foster care and relative care.Foster carers and relative carers are approved andregistered to provide safe and nurturing care tochildren and young people within their own home.Foster carers can provide care to a broad rangeof children and young people. Relative carers areregistered to provide care for specific children.They are typically related to the child or have asignificant pre-existing relationship with them.The majority of children are placed in out-of-homecare because they have suffered harm or are atrisk of potential harm. FACS will continue to workwith the child’s family to reunite them as quicklyand safely as possible. Depending upon the childand their families’ circumstances, children may beplaced in emergency, respite, short or long termcare.FACS holds primary responsibility for recruiting,training, assessing and supporting the majority offamily-based placements across the NT.Legislation requires FACS to abide by the AboriginalChild Placement Principle. This means that everyeffort must be made to place Indigenous childrenwithin their immediate or extended family networkswherever possible. If relative care options do notexist, placement with Indigenous carers will besought. Typically, two thirds of children and youngpeople in out-of-home care are Indigenous.Training and accreditationPeople interested in becoming a carer must beassessed to determine their suitability to providecare to our most vulnerable children and youngpeople.Information to determine a carers’ suitability iscollected through several face-to-face interviews,referee reports, and child-safe screening checks(including medical and criminal history check).Applicants must have a physically safe environmentto care for children and young people.The assessment process is about getting toknow you and what you have to offer as acarer. Applicants will need to provide detailedinformation about themselves, their backgroundand their family. This information is compiledinto a confidential written report that informs theoutcome of your assessment.Suitable carers will be approved and registered forup to 12 months. It is a requirement that carersare re-assessed and re-registered every twelvemonths thereafter.Limited orientation training opportunities areavailable to carers in the NT. Work is currentlyunder way to deliver a consistent training packageShared Stories, Shared Lives to all carers acrossthe NT. FACS will introduce mandatory orientationtraining in the very near future.50Government department supportDepartment of Health and CommunityServicesPO Box 40596 CASUARINA NT 0811Phone 08 8999 2400Translating and Interpreting Services08 8999 4302 or 1800 676 254Fax 08 8999 2700Website www.nt.gov.au/healthFACS After Hours Crisis ServicePhone 1800 700 250Darwin Urban Placement Unit SupportTeamGround floor Casuarina PlazaCnr Trower Road and Vanderlin Drive, CasuarinaNT 0811Phone 08 8922 7077Katherine FACSKatherine Government Centre, First Street,KatherinePhone 08 8973 8600East Arnhem FACSArnhem House Endeavour Square, NhulunbuyPhone 08 8987 0400Darwin Remote FACSBlock 4 Royal Darwin Hospital Campus, DarwinPhone 08 8922 8474Alice Springs Placement Support Team60 Hartley Street, Alice SpringsPhone 08 8955 6001Barkly FACSTennant Creek Hospital, Smith Street, TennantCreekPhone 08 8962 4334Children and young people supportCreate Foundation — NT BranchShop 17a Casuarina PlazaPhone 1800 655 105Fax 08 8945 7752Legal supportLegal Aid Commission — NTPhone 08 8999 3000 or 1800 019 343Website www.ntlac.nt.gov.au
RecruitmentFACS always welcomes calls from people interestedin becoming a carer. FACS encourages people ofall ages, racial and occupational backgrounds toapply, as this enhances FACS’ capacity to makeculturally appropriate placements and better matchthe needs of a child to a carer with the right skillsto meet these needs. Indigenous carers are alwaysencouraged to apply.People can nominate to care for children of acertain age and/or children with special needs.If you would like more information about becominga carer contact the FACS office in your local areadirectly. Alternately you can visit www.nt.gov.aufor further information.SupportBeing a carer means that you’re an essential partof the team that supports the current and futureneeds of the child or young person in care. As partof this team, you will have regular contact witha wide range of people and professionals and, inparticular, ongoing contact with FACS.Being a carer is a rewarding yet challengingrole. Whilst FACS is a key source of support to allregistered carers, other Departments, communitybased agencies, your friends and family can alsoprovide you with support as required. The child’scaseworker will be a good source of informationFoster carers may come into contact with a range of services and organisations throughout theirfoster care career, services too numerous to mention in this publication. A comprehensive range ofsupport services is located in the front pages of your local telephone book under the heading ‘Healthand Help’.Foster Care NT Inc.Office 5B/18 Bauhinia Street (PO Box 1287), Nightcliff NT 0814Phone 08 8948 3204 (9am – 5pm, Monday, Wednesday; 9am – 1pm, Friday)0408 750 945 (After hours assistance and support)Fax 08 8948 0509Email ntfca@bigpond.net.auAfter hours assistance and supportFoster Care NT Inc (foster carer to foster carer) after hours service 0408 750 945.Services provided:specific to the child(ren) in your care. Inemergencies, registered carers can also access the24 hour FACS After Hours Crisis Service.Carers are encouraged to meet other carers whoshare a valuable understanding of the demandsof the caring role and can provide additionalsupport to you and your family. The NT foster careassociation is able to link you to other carers inyour local area.Financial supportFACS pays regular payments to registered carers tocontribute to the costs of caring for the child withintheir home. Carer payment rates are reviewed andadjusted annually.Carer payments are not considered as wages orincome, but are intended to re-imburse carers forthe daily expenses of caring for a child includingfood, clothing, pocket money and other householdexpenses. Payments are calculated according tothe age of the child.Alternate payment rates may be applied when achild who has a disability and/or high daily careand support needs is placed with a carer. Higherpayment rates are calculated on the basis thatcarers are expected to provide additional care andsupport above and beyond what would normally beexpected.• telephone support and referral service;• support at case conferences and meetings if you would like someone from the Association to attendwith you;• information about foster caring, advice and assistance in accessing appropriate services;• individual advocacy as required;• literature information to prospective foster families;• social activities for foster families;• newsletters;• conferences;• training seminars;• annual camps in each region (Top End and Central Australia) for foster families;• liaison with government and private agencies about policy and practice issues;• active member of AFCA, the national voice of foster carers, providing regular input on nationalissues that have an impact on Northern Terrntory foster carers.NORTHERN TERRITORY51
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 and 28: Organising foster children’s pass
Page 29 and 30: Accessing Legal AidPeople seeking l
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: Ongoing support for foster carersSp
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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