ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY REPORT:
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
18 Jul 2012
The main focus of the NSW Government's sweeping reforms to the foster care system is to restore children to their families, wherever possible, and prevent children coming into care in the first place, says Maureen Eagles, Director of CatholicCare's Family, Youth and Children's Services.
CatholicCare, the Archdiocese of Sydney's welfare agency has been at the forefront of out of home care since 1941.
Currently, the agency has 80 trained, experienced foster families across the city providing emergency, temporary, short term or long term care to vulnerable children and young people at risk.
On any one day throughout the year there are at least 39 children staying with CatholicCare foster families. These children range from babies through to young teenagers. Some need care for just a night or two or a week while a single parent is in hospital and has no one to look after her youngsters. Others may remain in care for several months while for others depending on circumstances at home, out-of-home care can last a year or more or in some cases become permanent.
Whether the foster care offered is short, medium or long term CatholicCare caseworkers are in constant touch with each foster family and each of the children or teenagers in their care.
"Getting a child back with their family is best, wherever possible," Maureen says. "Once safety issues are dealt with, and the viability of returning children to their families assessed, the aim of our programs is to try to get the child back home. Then by working closely with these families we can help resolve issues and give them the support they need to ensure the best outcome for the child."
In some instances it may not be possible or safe for the child to be returned to their family, but Maureen says for the large majority this is not the case. Like many others in the field, is convinced that by working with the whole family will not only help reduce the number of young people needing out of home care but transform the entire system.
CatholicCare along with welfare agencies such as Anglicare, Barnardo's, Uniting Care, the Salvation Army, Burnside, the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA) and the NSW Department of Community Services are working closely together to implement reforms to the state's foster care system and give all children in foster care the best outcome possible.
The first stage of reforms to the system began last week when the NSW Government began the transfer of care of 6800 children from the Department of Community Services to 38 qualified accredited non-government child welfare agencies. Under this new model, and taking place over a four year period, the private sector will be responsible for all foster care in NSW, freeing up the Department of Community Services to concentrate on the all-important "forensic" work of protecting at-risk children.
The decision to outsource foster care to non-government agencies was triggered by the 2008 Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services by Justice James Wood which found the non government sector had "smaller less formalised management structures" and a "greater capacity to implement t reforms and innovative service models more quickly than government agencies."
At the time of the Inquiry, 14,000 children were living in out of home care, a far higher number than in Queensland or Victoria where the welfare system had been overhauled and much of the responsibility for out of home care handed over to the private sector.
"Governments don't know it all and can't do it all," NSW Minister for Family and Community Services, Pru Goward said last week when announcing the start of the transfer of children in foster care from the State to non-government agencies and added that the "nimbleness and flexibility" of these agencies would enable caseworkers to be assigned to every child in foster care, something that had not been possible under state bureaucracy due to red tape.
This month CatholicCare will take responsibility for a number of former Department of Community Services children currently in foster care with the agency's caseworkers overseeing and liaising with the families with whom they've been placed.
At this stage there are no plans, nor any reason, to move the children from the foster families who are caring for them. But as non-government agencies takes over full responsibility for the sector over the next four years, and CatholicCare increases its number of placements using its own experienced and trained foster families ,more foster families as well as additional caseworkers may be needed.
"Foster care and working with families makes up an important and enduring part of our services and we are delighted to be able to expand our foster care programs and ensure positive outcomes for children, youth and families," says CatholicCare CEO, Bernard Boerma says.
For mothers and their families who are interested in becoming foster carers contact Andree Borc or Bernadette Ahern at CatholicCare on 02-8709 933.
For those who wish to find out more about CatholicCare's Family Youth and Children's Services, log on to www.catholiccare.org and click on "Children & Youth Services."
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
18 Jul 2012
CatholicCare's foster
program tries to keep
siblings together
CatholicCare, the Archdiocese of Sydney's welfare agency has been at the forefront of out of home care since 1941.
Currently, the agency has 80 trained, experienced foster families across the city providing emergency, temporary, short term or long term care to vulnerable children and young people at risk.
On any one day throughout the year there are at least 39 children staying with CatholicCare foster families. These children range from babies through to young teenagers. Some need care for just a night or two or a week while a single parent is in hospital and has no one to look after her youngsters. Others may remain in care for several months while for others depending on circumstances at home, out-of-home care can last a year or more or in some cases become permanent.
Whether the foster care offered is short, medium or long term CatholicCare caseworkers are in constant touch with each foster family and each of the children or teenagers in their care.
Maureen Eagles Director
of CatholicCare's Family
Youth & Children's Services
In some instances it may not be possible or safe for the child to be returned to their family, but Maureen says for the large majority this is not the case. Like many others in the field, is convinced that by working with the whole family will not only help reduce the number of young people needing out of home care but transform the entire system.
CatholicCare along with welfare agencies such as Anglicare, Barnardo's, Uniting Care, the Salvation Army, Burnside, the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA) and the NSW Department of Community Services are working closely together to implement reforms to the state's foster care system and give all children in foster care the best outcome possible.
Restoring out of home care
children to their families
wherever possible delivers
the best outcomes
The decision to outsource foster care to non-government agencies was triggered by the 2008 Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services by Justice James Wood which found the non government sector had "smaller less formalised management structures" and a "greater capacity to implement t reforms and innovative service models more quickly than government agencies."
At the time of the Inquiry, 14,000 children were living in out of home care, a far higher number than in Queensland or Victoria where the welfare system had been overhauled and much of the responsibility for out of home care handed over to the private sector.
"Governments don't know it all and can't do it all," NSW Minister for Family and Community Services, Pru Goward said last week when announcing the start of the transfer of children in foster care from the State to non-government agencies and added that the "nimbleness and flexibility" of these agencies would enable caseworkers to be assigned to every child in foster care, something that had not been possible under state bureaucracy due to red tape.
Foster Mums Open their Hearts and Homes to
children in need
At this stage there are no plans, nor any reason, to move the children from the foster families who are caring for them. But as non-government agencies takes over full responsibility for the sector over the next four years, and CatholicCare increases its number of placements using its own experienced and trained foster families ,more foster families as well as additional caseworkers may be needed.
"Foster care and working with families makes up an important and enduring part of our services and we are delighted to be able to expand our foster care programs and ensure positive outcomes for children, youth and families," says CatholicCare CEO, Bernard Boerma says.
For mothers and their families who are interested in becoming foster carers contact Andree Borc or Bernadette Ahern at CatholicCare on 02-8709 933.
For those who wish to find out more about CatholicCare's Family Youth and Children's Services, log on to www.catholiccare.org and click on "Children & Youth Services."
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
Comments