Knowing how to avoid carer burnout
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
A rather long pre-amble – I have been working on this post for a while (due to my own life balancing act and working out the best way to tackle such a big area). Being able to write this post meant I had to make sure I was tending to my own stress red flags and ensuring I was prioritising myself. This may sound slightly selfish and I did frame this differently in earlier drafts. Yes, I have been practicing prioritising me. The more I thought about this, the more obvious it became. One of the biggest risks for caregivers is consistently prioritising everyone and everything else over ourselves ..read more
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Judging birth parents and children in care
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
Today I was having a chat with someone I don’t really know well and the subject of fostering came up. I learnt quite quickly that she held very strong views about what she termed ‘parents rights’ to have their children back in their care. For anyone who knows me well or reads my blog, I too have strong views but at the other end of the spectrum. I chose quickly to be quiet and just listen to why she felt so strongly. I sat in non-judgement & curiosity while she quite strongly judged a mother she was aware of who had her young daughter restored into her care but she was very worried about h ..read more
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Isolation check-in during Covid-19
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
I am writing this post as the impacts of isolation from Covid-19 start to settle in Australia. I was planning to write about supporting children in your care, yourselves and each other during this time earlier, but my life/work at home juggle, like many, was very time consuming. Even though days morphed into each other and work hours seemed to blow out, the girls and I really enjoyed slowing down, spending more time together and making the most of our home space. On an aside, I am also rather worried about how our dog, and all other pets, are going to adjust to less human time! As we start to ..read more
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How HOPE helps
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
When I made a decision to become a foster carer, I wasn’t really thinking about hope. I believed that I would be able to support a child in foster care and like other areas of my life, work things out as I go along. In some (ok many) ways,  I was idealistic (or naïve) about what this all meant. CC, my gorgeous foster daughter (and her mum and dads gorgeous daughter) arrived into our family home and proceeded to show us her very narrow emotional range. CC didn’t really smile like other 2 year olds. She was indifferent to most things and people (except food). Over time this has changed but ..read more
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Guardianship – the who, what, where, when and why (in no particular order)
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
If you are already a foster or relative/kin carer then you very likely to understand that legal parental responsibility sits within the government structure instead of the child’s birth parent/s. You are then also likely to understand that this brings you, as the carer and the child in your care into a complex legal and regulatory system to ensure children in care are indeed safer and doing well. If you are the ongoing carer for a child and you find you are doing most of the doing (not your agency) and the child/ren in your care are well supported within your own family and network, then it is ..read more
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Getting your foster child/ren ready for a new school year
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
The new school year is upon us and this can be exciting or nerve racking for any child. When you add the complexity of trauma, it is more likely that a new school year will lead to additional stress for children and young people in your care. As carers, we are tasked with creating a safe (emotionally and physically) environment for the child/ren we care for. This extends to supporting their transition such as a new school year (potentially also a new school) as well as in the home. For children that are resistant to going to school in any way, please uphold your responsibility as a carer to en ..read more
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Gratitude practice in your foster home
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
This morning I woke up and was a bit unsure of how I was feeling. I have had a couple of tricky days with my foster daughter who I love very much. CC struggles with attachment and sometimes for no apparent reason, she will start to say and behave in ways towards my birth daughter mostly (and myself) that are far from kind. I understand it is not the behaviour but what is behind it. But some days I really struggle with the pain it can cause my other daughter.  So today I woke up feeling slightly flat to be honest. I am hoping on our final days of holidays (and I actually have some time off ..read more
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Festive season for kids in care
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
For most of us, festive season (in any religion and culture) is a time of coming together and joy. Here in Australia, as we gear up for the largest annual family gatherings around Christmas, there is at times a surreal frenzy around shopping for pressies and food, dressing up our houses, preparing for holidays away and planning around Christmas day gatherings. Generally, it is a day with a lot of build-up. Hopefully the crescendo events are enjoyable for all but they do tend to generate stress at times. For children in care this can be a period with mixed emotions. Some children who have been ..read more
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Frustrated carers during times of uncertainty & finding common ground
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
I have been writing this blog from a space of intention. My intention has been to spread messages of a ‘system’ that is working at its best. And when it is working well, it’s a wonderful thing! But the truth of the child welfare system is that it is complex, confusing & confounding at times as well. So this post is written with the intention of acknowledging this complexity from the carers point of view. Carer/s who open their home and heart to support vulnerable children but are also concurrently opening their lives up to a frustrating and stressful journey at times. When carers care for ..read more
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Every child in care has a right to an education
The Foster Carer Hub
by The Foster Care blogger
3y ago
This is such a big subject to unpack in a post but hopefully I can do it justice in a few paras. In my role in the child welfare sector I hear about hundreds of children who are either at risk of coming into care (services are actively supporting parents to keep children at home and safe) or already in care. I hear inspiring stories about principals, teachers and support workers who absolutely act as champions for children who are struggling/suffering in relation to a range of forms of trauma. These schools and key staff do not suspend a child every time there is an incident. They work alongsi ..read more
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