Author: Amy

Connected Carers, in Western Sydney, exists to build a strong community where foster carers feel loved, valued, encouraged, supported and inspired whilst doing the ministry of caring. The heart of Connected Carers is to gather Christian carers to be a light in the Out-of-Home Care space.  Inspired by James 1:27, Religion that God our father …

Communicating thoughtfully about Out-of-Home Care. As a leader talking about Out-of-home Care – foster care, kinship care, permanent care or guardianship – from the platform or within your church community, you may bring your own lived experience of the system and those navigating it, or you might be brand new to the space. If it’s …

There are so many ways to provide practical support for carers within your church. Children in care need a lot of focused time with their carers. Sometimes seemingly simple things can go a long way to help carry the load for carers who are giving their lives to providing nurturing, healing, care for children, which …

Any efforts to bring the light of Jesus into hard places should be inspired, guided, and sustained by prayer. Prayer is perhaps the greatest contribution we can give towards seeing God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven within the child protection system, families experiencing separation, and our churches. God wants to engage …

We cannot overemphasise how important it is to have an understanding of trauma if you are opening your home and life to a child through home-based care. There is a high threshold for removal of a child from their home, so to put it simply, they have experienced some hard things. It has been reported …

When Grace first met 10-year-old Jasmine, Jasmine refused to speak. She stood with arms crossed and lips pursed. Grace had been assigned to Jasmine, as a Kids Hope mentor, to meet together once a week at school. After a few weeks, Grace brought out a Kids Hope tool designed to help with identifying emotions. She …

Creating opportunities for connection among those who are, have been, or want to be a carer. Carer Gatherings create a space for carers to regularly connect with others who have a shared experience, in order to support and equip them in their care journey. Gatherings can provide support through prayer, encouragement, and learning opportunities for …

We’ve compiled a list of books and other foster care resources to help you dig deeper into various aspects of Out-of-Home Care. Click on the links below to navigate the types of resources. Please be aware that several of these books contain very strong themes and content that may be disturbing or triggering. We encourage …

Family visitations are an important part of the process of working towards restoration for families who have been separated. Where decisions are made to facilitate contact between children in care and their families, a safe and consistent space is needed to host visits. The nature and frequency of this is determined on a case-by-case basis …

Why does the church have a role to play in the foster care system in Australia? God desires that His people represent His heart, living as ambassadors of a different kind of Kingdom, one of justice and righteousness. The prophet Amos used some pretty strong language to tell people what God wasn’t interested in… religious …

Ensuring your church is a safe environment for all children. We all want our churches to be safe places for everyone, particularly children and young people. A foundation for this is ensuring that you have robust Child Safety Policy and Procedures in place. Your denomination likely has resources available to support you in this area. …

Hillsong Brisbane Central have been providing a space for use by Mt Gravatt Child Safety Service Centre as part of the process of families being reunited. We spoke to them to find out about what it looks like. “If we’re going to be a church Monday through to Sunday, we need to be ‘alive’ during …

Children and young people can enter foster care without warning and sometimes with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing. During a disorienting experience and in an unfamiliar environment, receiving items that are especially for them doesn’t only provide essential items but also the message that they are seen and valued. There are a number of …

Guidelines for considering Out-of-Home Care in your children’s and youth ministry programs. When designing and offering church programs for children and young people, there are some key considerations that will show support for Foster Carers and the children and young people in their care. This will not only be helping them to meet their obligations, …