... the tide is turning
Currently DoCS has three main types of foster care for children who have been removed from the family home and placed in protective custody.
DoCS do not do foster care themselves. Foster homes are outsourced through private organizations and charities. Foster carers work for these outsourced agencies.
This page is designed to simply give parents the idea of what kinds of custody there are which are commonly used.
Emergency Care:
This is usually only for 24 hours and is normally a family home where foster carers are on-call throughout the day and night to accept a child who is then to be placed in a foster home. The foster carers who do emergency care are anonymous and remain anonymous.
Hospitals also do emergency care. A child will be admitted with a fictitious health problem and placed in a private room on the children's ward. The child will be given an alias. Babies will be dressed in clothing of the opposite sex. The child will remain in the hospital until a foster home becomes available.
Care type 1... The Family Home:
This is the genuine foster home. It can consist of one or two foster parents. This family home can have up to seven or so children living in it. Some may be biological children of the foster parents or they may all be fostered children.
The foster parents do not remain completely anonymous. Although DoCS may not give you the address of where your child is living, they will put the name of the primary foster carer (usually the woman) in affidavits and on Case Plans or the minutes of Family Group Meetings if the foster carer was involved. You may also get an opportunity to meet your child's foster carer during a case meeting at the office of the Department of Child Safety.
Normally babies and young children are placed straight into a foster home from emergency care as soon as a home becomes available to accommodate the child.
In-home foster carers will be required by the Department of Child Safety and their own agency to maintain their own lifestyle. They are entitled to Foster Carer Payment from Centrelink and they will apply for it. Be sure to contact Centrelink yourself and let them know your child is no longer in your care. Centrelink will bill you for a debt if you have not informed them of your child.
Foster carers do not transport your child to contact visits or supervise visits. This is done by outsourced youth workers from other agencies or on occasion it can be a CSSO from your DoCS office.
Usually your child will remain in this foster home for the duration of your situation. It is not very common that children are moved about once they are placed in a foster home, unless they go into kinship care.
Care type 2... Kinship Care:
Kinship carers are family members or close family friends who take on the responsibility of caring for your child. They are still subject to screening for approval and must obey stipulations in any Court orders, regardless of their relationship with you.
Usually your CSO will discuss a kinship carer with you if it's an option for your child. You may nominate anybody whom you think is appropriate or disapprove of suggestions your CSO makes.
Potential kinship carers will go through a screening process and be issued a Blue Card upon approval.
Kinship carers are required by the Department of Child Safety to maintain their own lifestyle. They are entitled to Foster Carer Payment from Centrelink as well.
Care type 3... Motel or Apartment Buildings:
Older children will often be placed in a motel or apartment building. They are not cared for by foster carers, but youth workers.
This is a transient lifestyle, with children moving to a new motel or apartment every one or two weeks. Youth workers work on a shift rotation, so your child will be cared for by different workers. Usually there are at least two regular workers who rotate shifts, with other workers fitting in here and there.
Youth workers will transport your child to contact visits and supervise the visit if applicable.
Youth workers will also receive weekly food vouchers directly from DoCS for groceries for your child. The Department of Child Safety pays the accommodation costs for motels and apartment buildings in advance.
Although DoCS may endeavour to locate a foster home for your child, your child will remain living this lifestyle until they either move to the home based foster situation or are reunified with you.
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