I was completing a Social Work degree and to be honest, I had no clue about Foster Care. I was on placement with the Department of Communities and Justice in the triage unit, where child protection reports are made and assessed. I loved being in that area as it was preventative work. I was least interested in Foster Care as I thought children in Foster Care were ‘all good’. 

I didn’t think I needed to worry about them as they had already been removed from an environment of neglect or abuse and had been placed in a safe home. However, in the last couple of weeks of my placement I had an opportunity to sit with some of the caseworkers and see more of the work in the Foster Care space. This was a real eyeopener and ultimately life-changing for my family and I. 

I learned about Foster Care placement breakdown, where the carer is no longer able or willing to care for a child. This results in the child then being placed with another carer, having to get used to yet another family, another new environment, not knowing how long that placement might last and for some children, going through this eight, nine, ten times in a year. I spent some time with the team who would call Foster Care families when a placement broke down or when a child came into care for the first time and heard repeatedly from carers, “no sorry, we can’t do it,” which would result in a child being placed in a hotel with a rotating shift worker. At that time, I heard of a three-, five-, and eight-year-old sibling group who had been residing in a hotel for several months due to a lack of carers. 

Hearing about this chronic shortage of carers within the system and learning about the very common occurrence of placement breakdowns, broke my heart.

I had had no idea about this need that existed within my own community. I would come home and share everything I was hearing with my family, and we all decided this was something we wanted and needed to do. 

In 2018 we decided to take the steps to becoming Foster Carers and in 2019 we were approved and took in our first sibling placement. We are currently emergency, respite, and short-term carers and have had around 20 placements. We generally take sibling groups, as there is a huge need for families to be able to take in more than one child so that siblings can remain together where possible. 

Looking after those who are vulnerable is one of the things Jesus has asked his bride, the church, to do. A couple of the many scriptures that talk about this are James 1:27 “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” and Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow”.   The church is called to take care of the vulnerable. Foster Care is a ministry for our family, where we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus, reflecting his nature and character to those who are the most vulnerable in our community, shining His light into a dark space. 

My life scripture since a teenager has been Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted…” When I read that whole passage, I am reminded that I am anointed to do this work. 

As Christians, we are anointed to do this work and thankfully, we don’t do it alone, we have Holy Spirit helping us along the way. 

I am so dependent on Him; I need Him to do this well.  Without Holy Spirit, I can tell you now, we would have given up a long time ago. 

Being a carer can be extremely disruptive and challenging for a family. Our peaceful little family environment felt like we had a whirlwind rip through it when we had our first placement. We were shell-shocked, looking at each other in bewilderment wondering what was happening. How can these cute little people cause so much upheaval? However, by the end of it we saw first-hand the wonderful impact our normal little family had had. The transport worker who picked them up for their first biological family visit also picked them up when they left to go into a Kinship Care placement, commenting, “these are not the same two children.” We’ve heard that type of comment repeatedly and we know that at the heart of it is Jesus who makes all the difference. The love we receive from Him, we extend to every child, and that makes such a massive impact. It has been so rewarding to see this play out. 

For some children neglect and abuse is just a ‘normal’ part of life, however, we love that as a family we get to intersect and break the ‘normal’ they have experienced. We get to show them that they deserve to be loved, they deserve to feel valued, they deserve to be adored, they deserve to be cared for. We pray this is something they will carry with them forever and that God would use the season they spend with our family, however long that may be, to have a lasting impact. We have honestly seen God do some amazing things that have had psychologists, caseworkers, and pediatricians scratching their heads wondering why kids respond so differently in our home. We know our story won’t be a unique one as more Christian families step into the Foster Care system. Our prayer is that many more Christians would answer the call. Christians are uniquely and far more equipped than they realise. We are anointed to do this work! 

The church is called to be light in this dark world. A light inside a house that is already lit up is not as effective. Light shines brightest in dark places. 

The story of the Good Samaritan is always so sobering to read. I don’t ever want to be so focused on ministry within the four walls of the church that I miss the needs within my own community. The Foster Care system is often a dark space due to brokenness and pain and we need more Christians to shine their light in that world. 

In saying this, it is important to ensure your whole family are ready for Foster Care. Children in care come with a great deal of trauma and it can be a lot to manage. What we have observed is that if the whole family is not ready, then you can inadvertently end up doing more harm than good, regardless of your good heart or intentions. 

We have three biological daughters and we quickly learnt that our youngest was struggling the most in terms of adjusting to the children who were coming into our home. This was understandable, because she was the one that would generally be sharing her room with a child or would give up her room for someone. Being the youngest in the family would also pose some unforeseen challenges and tension for her with the new family dynamics. We all became very mindful of her and ensured we were there to help her understand and cope with every situation. We had an unofficial rule that she would be the one who was the deciding factor in our decision to take on a placement. Mostly, she was excited, but there were times when we all wanted to take on another placement but she wasn’t ready, so we had to say no.  I believe for the longevity and health of our family and for us to be able to give our very best, we needed to do that, and it has proven to be a wise decision for our family.

Our girls have talked on many occasions about their desire to be Foster Carers when they have families of their own. I love this because it means their experience, as hard as it has been sometimes, hasn’t turned them off instead it has developed in them greater compassion, empathy, and love for children in care. 

One of our daughters is studying Psychology with the view of working with kids within the system. 

Our faith in Jesus is everything for us on this journey.  Knowing we are not alone and that He is walking with us, helping us through every situation is everything.  When we have been triggered and things have been brought up in our own lives through certain situations, we have taken those to Jesus and unpacked it with Him.  

We have learnt and grown so much as individuals and as a family. I believe being Foster Carers has strengthened us and brought us closer to Him.  

We are so reliant and dependent on Him and there is no better place than that. 

As Christians we are placed beautifully, as we have a church community around us. When we first became carers of two young children and we were feeling really overwhelmed, we had another carer in our church come up to us and say, “right, I’m coming over every second weekend to take the kids out for the day so that you guys can do whatever you need to do”.  I didn’t know that’s what we needed but she did, and I can’t tell you how much of a blessing that was to us. The kids we had with us loved her and her son, so for them it was a full day of fun, but for us it was a time to recharge our batteries so we could keep going and give our best to them. We are so thankful to have that church community around us to offer support because it truly makes the journey easier. 

If you are unable to become a carer yourself, there are so many other ways you can step in to the Foster Care space as a member of the church.  

I would encourage you to offer your support to a carer by doing what my friend did, or just ask a carer if there is anything you could do to help them. Don’t underestimate coming alongside a carer and offering your support. A day here and there may not seem like much to you but to a carer who is looking after a vulnerable child with trauma, it can have a massive impact on both their lives. 

My family and I have been Foster Carers for five years now and it has been the most amazing experience that has changed our lives in the best way possible. So many of the children we have cared for have become family to us and we couldn’t imagine our lives without them. 

What we have learnt through our own journey is that Christians are equipped and so beautifully positioned for the ministry of Foster Care. Our prayer is that many more Christian families would either step into the Foster Care space and become carers themselves or come alongside a carer and offer their support.  Whatever it looks like for you, I know collectively as He shines His light through all of us, it will make a transformative impact on the entire system and most importantly on the children coming into care. 

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The Homeward Project exists to partner with churches for holistic ministry in the Out-of-Home Care space in local communities. We provide a framework of resources and coaching for ongoing carer recruitment and support, with ways for every member of your church to play a part. We’d love to partner with your church. Find out more via the link below or get in touch at hello@homewardproject.org

Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (2023) Child Protection Report 2021-22, Accessed: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/child-protection-australia-2021-22/contents/summary