Stories

This Christmas season, one local church is modelling a beautiful spirit of local partnership to help lighten the load for families to be able to have gifts under the tree – and this year they’re including a focus on foster carers. LifeHouse Care, the community arm of LifeHouse Church on the NSW mid-North Coast, wants …

Jen* climbed out of her window at 12 years old, needing to escape. It’s been a journey of unlearning and learning; ultimately breaking a cycle and leaving a legacy for the next generation. The love shown by her Foster Carers helped break through the lies that she’d come to believe about herself and she learned …

The first time I began to encounter young people who had been in foster care was when I was in a youth worker role in New Zealand. I began to meet more and more young people who had aged out of the system. There was almost systemic homelessness happening (things have changed at a policy …

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 …

Ali and Noddy reflect on the costly love of foster care and how it takes all of us to lean into a problem that shouldn’t exist in our world but does. Ali and Noddy’s journey into foster care was quite a long one. Through obedience and continually coming back to Jesus, they are opening their …

Eva shares about her journey in the care system: things she needed to unlearn, things she’s discovered about God, and how she has become a Foster Carer herself. Eva experienced significant abuse growing up. After moving to a new, unfamiliar country and with the abuse getting worse, she felt completely alone. Through school she came …

As a child, the world was blissful for me growing up. I didn’t know a single thing was going wrong in our home life. My mum did a really good job of protecting my sister and I from what was actually happening around us.  I had no idea about the dynamic in my parents’ relationship. …

The day you were born is special. You’re worth celebrating! This is a message every child deserves to receive. Unfortunately, for a range of different reasons, it might not be what is experienced by all children on their birthday.  The traditions and celebration surrounding birthdays are an important part of childhood. For parents and carers …

As a Social Worker, Foster Carer, and someone with a care experience, Naomi has had a front row seat to the world of Foster Care. Naomi is currently a Social Worker with a Christian welfare agency. She’s seen the positive difference that Foster Care can make. “I’ve been in the privileged position to see kids …

Steve and Michelle are on mission as a family. They do all sorts of Foster Care, providing short-term care which might be a week or a few months, longer-term care, respite care for children who are already in a placement to give the carers a break, as well as emergency care which might just be …

Hillsong CityCare partners with Foster Care organisations across the country through their annual Christmas campaign ‘Kilo of Christmas.’ We all know that when we’re singing along to “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,”* that for some, this is very far from reality. The Christmas season puts a spotlight on ‘family’ and can highlight …

The Christmas story can easily become familiar. Thousands of year later, summarised in carols, it can be easy to overlook the layers of meaning and lessons for us within the particular way in which the Word became flesh and blood and came to dwell among us. Scott Hawkins shares about one particular character of the …

For Noddy, Ali and Jesse, pursuing Foster Care as a family was a four-year process, full of questions along the way. Looking back, they see it all as God’s timing. We talked to Noddy about his motivations for fostering, some of the barriers people might face, and lessons they’ve learned so far. Jesse, our miracle …

Barb stepped into a part-time Foster Care Chaplain role, not knowing exactly what it would look like but with the support of Lifehouse Church leadership who wanted the church to start engaging in the Foster Care space in some way. The leadership team had been reimagining the possibilities for local mission and were aware of …

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 …

Moriah is a Foster Carer in Melbourne, Australia. She shared with us about her experience of fostering and her motivation behind stepping into this space. I’m an Emergency and Respite Foster Carer and I look after children and teenagers for anything from one night up to one week or so at a time. I foster …