Foster Carers

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Reasons to consider Foster Care

Young people in need of homes

Right here, in Sydney, there are children and young people in need of a safe and stable home. A home could be provided by one person, two people or any existing family unit. Whether the home mimics a traditional family, or a non-traditional family type unit, is not as important as whether young people have a safe place and nurturing carers.

Could this be you?

Could you provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment to provide the foundation to overcome challenges in order for a young person to live their life to their full of potential? Could you experience the privilege of walking side by side a young person as they grow, as their personality begins to emerge, and they find their footing and grow in confidence?

As at June 2020, in Australia almost 46,000 children were in out-of-home care.

Being a Foster Carer with us

The children and young people in our care are considered ‘older’, as they are between the ages of 9 and 18, but most of our children and young people are teenagers. Embarking on a journey as a carer may appear challenging but it need not be, at Burdekin we are able to support you through your journey to becoming a carer and will walk alongside you each step of the journey. As a Burdekin Foster Carer you are part of a team. We don’t stop providing support following your initial training, our team provide ongoing, wrap-around support on an ongoing basis. This included post placement with a young person in care.

We would love to hear from you if you think you could provide a safe place for one of these young people – we can also support you with accommodation, if that may be a barrier to providing care for young people.

Children and young people who are in the Out of Home Care system have all come from “hard places”. They all have a history of trauma and broken attachments and that may mean that as a carer, you may need to learn to manage their big feelings and emotions with a little more skills and training, but we will be working alongside you to provide you with that support. Remember that older foster children and young people are just like any children and young people – in need of love, stability, and a secure home, to thrive. These bright individuals will have stuff to work through, building a connection may take a bit of time, but if you hang in there, you may get to see the walls come down as you learn more about them and they learn to trust you.

Are you a little bit curious about how it would work for you? Please chat to us and find out how it’s possible.

United We Shine – Mardi Gras Fair

Community events with Burdekin

The Mardi Gras Fair was amazing. Thank you for taking the time to come to our stall and ask about our work. We appreciate it.

There was an incredible turnout to Victoria Park with organisers estimating about 35,000 visitors.

United we certainly do shine!

Over the course of the day our colourful stall and friendly team attracted lots of people asking questions about what we do and how we do it. We ended up with a large number of people expressing interest in fostering or volunteering with us – the positive reaction exceeded our expectations.

Thank you to our staff who worked hard to create the stall. You will see more of us at community events like this one – keep a look out!

We are always here to answer questions, please do get in touch anytime:

Become a Burdekin Foster Carer, Foster Care FAQs, Information Sessions.

Volunteer, Skilled Volunteers, Current Volunteer Vacancies

If you would like to speak to someone, please email: carer@burdekin.org.au or phone Sarah or Michelle on:  02 8976 1777

Mardi Gras Fair

Meet our Burdekin Foster Carers

We will have a stall at the Mardi Gras Fair this year and we are looking forward to connecting with as many of you as possible! This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of a large community event. Our Carer team will be present to explain what it’s like to be a Burdekin Foster Carer.

Whether you are single, married, a home owner, renting, need us to provide a home, have a full time job, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, have a disability, are from an ethnic minority group – Carers come in all shapes and forms. We want to talk to you about what it means to be a Burdekin Foster Carer. Please take time to come by and say hi to us and learn more about our work.

The Mardi Gras Fair will be held at Victoria Park on Sunday 20th February in Broadway. There promises to be food, markets, comedy, dance and live music for all ages. We hope to see you there!

For more details about the Mardi Gras Fair please visit: ww.mardigras.org.au/events/fair-day

For details about our upcoming Burdekin Foster Carer information session please visit: Carer Information Session

And for more information about being a Carer with us or to speak to our team please contact:

Phone: 02 8976 1777
Email: carer@burdekin.org.au

Sarah Inner West | Michelle Northern Beaches

Meet our Burdekin Foster Carer Team

How to foster in NSW

Monthly information sessions and local pop up events

Each month, our team hold information sessions about being a Burdekin Foster Carer. At the session we will take interested potential carers through all the information and answer questions. Please register your interest or share this post with somebody who might be keen. Here are our monthly dates.

In addition to monthly sessions we are popping up at local events – you might have seen us recently at the Marrickville Justice Fair and the Marrickville Organic Markets – thanks to those of you who dropped by and said hi. We will keep you posted about future events as it is a great opportunity to find out some information, pick up a flyer and chat to a real person about what is involved in being a Burdekin Foster Carer.

Have you ever considered becoming a foster carer?

You may have considered fostering a child in the past and have been hesitant for many reasons. Common reasons that hold people back might be:

  • Concerns about disruptions to your life/ your children’s life
  • Concerns about it being too challenging
  • Concerns about not having the right skills or personality
  • You might be worried about the behavioural challenges of a child who has suffered trauma
  • You might be concerned about relations with the biological family
  • You might be worried about becoming too attached/not attached
  • You might worried that you won’t be able to stick it out or will want to quit

Our team knows this – they know how you feel, they have been there too.

Considerations

  • Talking about becoming a foster carer doesn’t mean that you have to go through with it
  • Attending information sessions doesn’t mean that you have to go through with it
  • You can start off slow – with emergency or respite care
  • Becoming a Burdekin Foster Carer is different to other types of foster care because you have a whole team of support behind you to work with you and the child or young person

Our team are ready to support you through your initial inquiries with no expectations.

Contact us

For more information about becoming a Carer please contact our Carer Support Coordinators:

Phone: 02 8976 1777
Email: carer@burdekin.org.au

Sarah Inner West | Kerrie Northern Beaches

You might like to check out our information pages: Become a Burdekin Foster Carer and Burdekin Foster Carer FAQs.

Have you ever thought about becoming a Burdekin Foster Carer?

Have you ever thought about becoming a foster carer?

Being a Carer with The Burdekin Association is different from the traditional foster care programs.

We are a community-based non-profit organisation with lots of different housing options, including a rent-free home for you and the child, generous carer allowance, ongoing training and continued support. Singles, couples and families are ALL welcome!  

Are you ready?

Do you want to take the next step and make a difference to a child’s life?  For more information, call Kerrie on 02 8976 1777 or email carer@burdekin.org.au.

Check out what Burdekin Foster Carers and young people in care have to say.

Have a listen to what Beth and Ange have to say about being Foster Carers with Burdekin. Beth and Ange.

Have a listen to what a difference having a caring home made to CJ. CJ

Have a listen to what being Foster Carers has meant to Jill and Tom. Jill and Tom.

Please visit our Carer pages to find out more – Becoming a Foster Carer and Live-in Foster Carer FAQ’s.

Have you ever considered becoming a foster carer?

Lisa* is a kind, thoughtful 11-year-old girl with loads of energy, looking for a loving home in the Inner West of Sydney. Lisa loves gymnastics, dancing and has recently shown a lot of interest in AFL. Lisa will be making the transition to high school next year and may need help getting to and from her new school. Lisa loves school but sometimes needs some support with her homework. She loves structure and routine and goes to bed at the same time every night.  Lisa is an amazing chef – her favourite things to make are smoothies and cupcakes.
*Image and name has been changed to protect child’s identity.

Foster carers needed Inner West, Northern Sydney, Eastern Suburbs and South East Sydney - can you help?

Ricky* is a caring, funny, smart 12-year-old boy who is full of energy and is hoping for a warm and loving home in the Inner West of Sydney. Ricky* absolutely loves NRL and has recently taken a huge interest in his fitness – going to the local park for running and circuit training. He has recently learnt to follow recipes and cooks up a storm. Ricky* takes so much pride in his bedroom. Ricky* enjoys school and sometimes will need some support with his assignments. Ricky* responds positively to a structured but fun environment.
*Image and name have been changed to protect child’s identity.

Please call us if you think you can offer a home to a young person

Keeping siblings together in foster care is vital to keep their close bond and connection rather than being split up. Burdekin currently have young teenage siblings who urgently need carers available to offer them a safe and nurturing home. 

Learn more about being a foster carer, hear real stories about what it is like to be a foster carer with us

At The Burdekin Association we know many teenagers are in need of a safe, secure, nurturing home and that many people won’t consider fostering teenagers because of negative misconceptions about them.  

Fostering a teenager provides young people with a consistent, nurturing, adult role model at a vital time in their life, allowing them to build up necessary steps to independence.

You do not need to have had your own teenagers or have had experience with teenagers. What you do need to have is an open heart to support young people who need to be loved and protected.

We are looking for individuals from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, who are single or in a relationship – all are welcome and encouraged to become foster carers.

Don’t forget, if you would like more information please give Kerrie on 02 8976 1777 a call, email carer@burdekin.org.au or visit our website to find out more – Becoming a Foster Carer and Live-in Foster Carer FAQ’s.

We acknowledge the Aboriginal people of the Cadigal and Gayamaygal Clans. We acknowledge the Country on which we live, work, and gather as being Aboriginal land.

We acknowledge the lands, waterways and skies that are connected to Aboriginal people. We honour them and pay our deepest respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

We respect their rightful place within our communities, and we value their ancient cultural knowledge and practices.

Aboriginal Flag
Torres Straight Island Flag

We deeply respect that this will always be Aboriginal land and we will honour and follow the first peoples’ values in caring for the Country and for preserving their culture.

We deeply value that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest living culture in the world and we will continue to work with their peoples and communities to ensure their cultures endure and remain strong.