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

VICTORIAcomplexity and intensity of the clients’ needs.RecruitmentEach community service organisation recruitscare givers directly, using a range of recruitmentstrategies to raise awareness of their need forfoster carers. Additionally the Department ofHuman Services funds the Centre for Excellencein Child and Family Welfare to raise communityinterest in foster care and recruit care giversthrough the Foster Care Project. This projectprovides a 24-hour foster care recruitment hotline(phone 1800 013 088) that provides generalinformation on foster care and refers people totheir local community service organisation.Financial supportAll care givers receive some reimbursementtowards the ordinary day-to-day costs ofcaring for a child or young person. The level ofreimbursement depends on the age of the childor young person in their care and the complexityof the child’s care needs. An additional sum of$48 per fortnight is paid to care givers for thefirst six months in placement. The care giverreimbursement is a contribution towards the costof items such as food, clothing, household items,gifts, pocket money and entertainment.The Department of Human Services paysreimbursements fortnightly. Care givers areentitled to reimbursement for a child in theircare until the child or young person reaches 18years of age; completes the school year that theycommenced prior to their 18th birthday; or gainsfull time employment.Quarterly educational and health paymentsAs well as the fortnightly reimbursements,payments of $200 per quarter per child or youngperson (pro rata, depending on how long a childor young person is in placement) are made toassist care givers to meet the educational andhealth needs of children and young people in theircare.Other financial supportOn a case-by-case basis, supplementary clientexpenses and Placement Support Grants are alsoavailable by application to assist with a range ofadditional expenses.Training and assessmentAll potential home based care givers are requiredto undergo assessment and attend pre-servicetraining to provide them with the knowledge andskills necessary to provide high quality care tothe children and young people they look after. Atpresent, training is developed and delivered bythe community service organisation who:• has responsibility to approve people as carers;• supports and supervises them when a child isplaced in their care; and• provides ongoing training in partnership withthe Department of Human Services.A common state-wide, competency basedassessment and pre-service training package isbeing developed for use by all community serviceorganisations.A formal community service organisation or60Community Service Organisations34 Community Service Organisations(CSOs) provide foster care programs. CSOs’contact details may be obtained through theDepartment of Human Services regional officesor through telephone directoriesLegal supportChildren’s CourtDeals with matters relating to children andyoung people regarding protection and care, aswell as criminal offencesPhone 03 8601 6700Website www.childrenscourt.vic.gov.auVictorian Legal AidLegal information and assistance, with feesworked out depending on your financial situationand the assets you ownPhone 03 9269 0234 or1800 677 402 (country callers)Website www.legalaid.vic.gov.auLaw Institute of Victoria Legal AssistanceSchemePhone 03 9607 9311Fax 03 9602 5270Email lawinst@liv.asn.auWebsite www.liv.asn.au/publicVictorian Bar Legal Assistance SchemeWebsite www.vicbar.com.auPublic Interest Law Clearing HousePhone 03 9225 6680 or 03 9225 6675Website www.pilch.org.au