New strategy to boost foster and kinship carer numbers

• Queensland Foster and Kinship Care will receive $1.4 million to boost foster and kinship carer numbers and strengthen support for carers
• Foster and Kinship Carer Week runs from May 4–11 May, and is a chance to acknowledge the more than 6,000 carer families in Queensland
• Queensland Foster and Kinship Carer Conference kicks off on the Gold Coast with the theme Helping Hands–Caring Hearts

Queensland’s peak body for foster and kinship carers will receive around $1.4 million to help boost carer numbers and strengthen support for carers.

Queensland Foster and Kinship Care (QFKC) will develop a carer retention strategy to re-recruit experienced carers, increase advocacy support to carers and design a dedicated counselling assistance program to better respond to carers’ needs.

The funding announcement comes as Queensland celebrates Foster and Kinship Carer Week (4–11 May) with events taking place throughout the state, from a family fun day in Atherton to an afternoon tea in Brisbane. 

The week-long celebration was officially launched at the annual QFKC Conference on the Gold Coast, attended by Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen.

The theme of this year’s conference is Helping Hands–Caring Hearts, a reflection on the important role played by many in the lives of children and young people in care.

The new strategies support the Queensland Government’s efforts to provide more family-based care placements and reduce the number of children and young people in residential care, as detailed in the Roadmap for Residential Care in Queensland.

Queensland has more than 6,000 foster and kinship carer families who share a passion for protecting and caring for nearly 10,000 children and young people living in out-of-home care.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Child Safety Charis Mullen:

“Every day we are grateful for our carers, but Foster and Kinship Carer Week is a chance to publicly and proudly thank them for the incredible role they play in the lives of children in care.

“We are working hard to build a stronger child safety system, including attracting new or returning foster and kinship carers and supporting current carers with additional services.

“I’m so pleased QFKC will pilot new and innovative models of care, such as respite and shared care, and develop more counselling and intervention services for foster and kinship carers.

“Supporting children and young people in care can be challenging, but the benefits are life changing.

“We will always strive to do more for our foster and kinship carers and ensure children and young people in care are kept safe.”

Quotes attributable to QFKC CEO Bryan Smith:

“As the peak body for foster and kinship carers in Queensland, QFKC are committed to the recruitment and retention of carers.

“This funding will enable the expansion of services that will ensure a direct focus on making sure that carers’ experience of the system is one that is responsive and respectful.

“The importance of children and young people having the experience of family-based care if they enter the care system is critical to their overall wellbeing.

“QFKC looks forward to working with our key stakeholders to ensure we tackle the areas that can make this difficult at times so that carers want to continue to offer family-based care to our children and young people.”

Quotes attributable to foster carer Sandra:

“I’ve been a foster carer for nearly 15 years and while there have been many challenges along the way we’ve always worked our way through them with the help of our support agency, Queensland Foster and Kinship Care and the Department of Child Safety.

“I definitely see the benefit of having a proper counselling program that is specifically designed for carers and takes into account the confidentiality we need to hold for the children in our care and their families.

“Every child deserves to be loved and supported but sometimes families don’t always have the capacity – this is about making sure the whole team is working together to make sure the children have everything they need to thrive.”

Further information:

• More information on Foster and Kinship Carer Week, including an online events calendar for carers and ‘day in the life of a carer’ blogs, can be found at www.qld.gov.au/fosterkinshipcarerweek
• Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer or returning to fostering should visit www.qld.gov.au/fostercare or call Queensland Foster and Kinship Care on 1300 550 877.
• To read the Roadmap for Residential Care in Queensland, visit here.

ENDS