If becoming a foster carer is not suitable, you might be wondering how else you can support. In this article we share the different ways to support foster care children without becoming a carer.
Different ways to support foster care children
Word of mouth
One way that you can support foster children, and their carers, is by educating your friends, family and acquaintances. You can be open and talk to them about what you’ve discovered. Moreover, share the stories you’ve heard or read that may have left an impact on you.
We find that ‘word of mouth’ is the main reason that people reach out and speak to us. The more people talk about foster care, the more we can reach our future foster carers.
Donate gifts, clothing and essentials
When some children come into care, they arrive with very little clothing, footwear or toiletry items. Anglicare Southern Queensland’s in-kind donation program collects brand new toiletries, cleaning products, clothing and toys to help support Queensland children in care.
Get your workplace or business onboard – Support Foster and Kinship Carer Week
In Queensland, Foster and Kinship Care Week is held annually from the first Saturday in May, to the following Saturday. It’s a week to recognise and thank more than 6,000 foster and kinship care families in Queensland.
By raising awareness of Foster and Kinship Carer Week with your colleagues and workplace, you could encourage them to get involved. That could include donating toys, toiletries or household cleaning products to children and their carer families. You might even consider holding a foster care fundraiser to purchase thank you gifts in recognition of the dedication and love that carers provide to children in need.
Agencies like Anglicare Southern Queensland host events throughout the year with the kind support and sponsorship of businesses across Queensland who have offered their premises to host celebrations, small group meetings, and children’s activities.
Prepare meals for foster care families
Another way that you can positively impact foster families is by working with local foster care agencies to prepare meals for them. If you already know a foster family, you might even consider helping them out by volunteering your time to prepare occasional meals, whether that be once a fortnight or month.
Offer to help families with household duties
It doesn’t have to be every day, but if you know a foster family, one way that you can lighten their load is by offering to help them with the everyday stuff, occasionally. This could include running errands or mowing their lawn. You might find that they may not want you to do this for them, but it can help to ask.
Be there and listen
If you know a foster carer, a great way that you can make a positive difference to them and inadvertently, those in their care is by offering a listening ear. Sometimes carers need someone to talk to, or turn to for advice. By simply listening, you can make a huge difference to them and give them clarity in their time of need.
Thank you for caring
Your support and donations, whether big or small, mean a lot to all of us.
It’s because of your dedication, support and commitment to help that we can do so much at a time when children and young people need it the most.
If one of these different ways to support foster care children inspired you, we’d love to hear from you
You can help by donating to children in need by contacting Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Fundraising Department at [email protected] or calling us on 1300 610 610.