Have you been thinking about becoming a foster carer but just aren’t ready to commit, yet? That’s perfectly okay and there are plenty of ways that you can make a difference to kids in care without becoming a foster carer.
Transitioning into foster homes can be stressful for children. Therefore, it’s important that there is support around them to help ease their anxiety. Here are some ways that you can help.
Advocacy
If you’re on your journey to becoming a foster carer, or finding other ways to support foster children, it could be beneficial to discuss this with the important people in your life. A lot of people don’t know about foster care and how the system works. Some people also have negative ideas and associations with it. So, starting a conversation about the positives of foster caring can make a significant difference to how people view it.
Even if you’re not ready to foster right now, you may try talking to your friends and family to get them to think about foster care. There are many people who don’t know anything about it, or realise that they’re actually eligible to become carers, so you might play an important role in helping them to consider becoming a carer.
If you would like to educate yourself and learn more about the realities of foster care, check out our frequently asked questions.
Donations
Some children move into a foster home without much of a warning and because of this, they arrive with very little of their belongings.
As a registered charity, Anglicare Southern Queensland relies on the generous donations of our community to help provide carers and young people with essentials, such as toiletries, toys, clothing and school supplies.
For children in care, specific items that are needed include:
- Liquid soap
- Toothpaste and toothbrushes
- Deodorant
- Shampoo and conditioner
- Pyjamas
- Underpants
- Socks
- Clothes
- School bags
- Stationary
- Sports equipment
- Books and games
- Nappies
- Baby wipes
- Powder
- Teething toys.
To donate goods for foster children in Queensland, please contact Anglicare Southern Queensland’s Fundraising Department on 1300 610 610 or email [email protected].
Respite Care
If you’re thinking about becoming a foster carer, it’s important to know that there are other options, besides diving into full-time care. If you want to provide care, but aren’t ready to commit to full-time care, you might like to consider providing respite or emergency care.
It’s important to remember that foster care isn’t just a massive transition for young people, but it’s a big change for foster families too. Weekend and brief-stay respite allows full-time carers to take a short break or seek assistance in emergency situations. Respite care offers regular, on-going support and is a great opportunity for children to meet new people and make new friends. You can learn more about the different types of foster care placements here.
Volunteering
If you’d like to volunteer some of your time to help foster children and their families, there are plenty of ways that you can do that. For instance, you could offer to:
- help their foster children with their homework for an hour;
- do school drop off and pick up for foster families; or
- prepare a meal (or meals) to lighten the load for foster parents.
In conclusion
There are many ways that you can help, even if you’re not able to foster full time. It doesn’t matter how you choose to foster children, any support is appreciated.
If you have any questions or want to learn some more, reach out to our team on 1300 000 828 and let us know how we can help.