The Wire

During the last year around 11,000 kids nation wide spend time in foster care and getting suitable adults to sign up to the task of taking care of someone else’s kids is a daunting job for governments. The state of NSW has been finding it particularly hard to find people to become foster parents for roughly 3000 kids who need somewhere to stay every night. To reverse the decline in numbers of parents signing up for the job, NSW Premier Morris Iemma has announced a boost in government payments to foster parents. But will it be enough to encourage more people to take on the job? At the start of Foster Care Week, the Wire caught up with a family who has taken on a number of kids over the past few years and we also meet up with 19-year old Anna, who spent time in foster care, is now living independently and studying public relations. But first, Andrew MacCallum heads up the Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies, the peak body presenting non-government organizations involved in Foster care. He explained to the Wire why some people are hesitant to become foster parents. Michelle Burrell from the Council of Social Services in NSW welcomed the influx of funds.

Foster care information portal