Specialist Foster Carers for Children with a Disability

Job No: 19539

Location: Brisbane Metro, Brisbane Bayside, Logan, Gold Coast and Beaudesert, QLD

Who are Lifeline Community Care Queensland?

Lifeline Community Care Queensland (LCCQ) exists to strengthen the lives of individuals, families and communities through wide-ranging community services that deliver enhanced access, efficiency and outcomes to the people who matter the most - its clients.

What is the Shared Care and Family Support Service (SCAFS)?

The Shared Care and Family Support Service (SCAFS)

• Is a part of the Disability Program of Lifeline Community Care - under the auspice of the Uniting Church in Australia (Uniting Care)
• Receives funding through State Government Agencies to provide a range of family based supports for children and young people who have disabilities and their families
• Supports carers in their role of providing safe, inclusive, family-based care to children and young people with disabilities
• Aims to enhance the choices, opportunities and experiences of children with disabilities by ensuring that individuals are living in nurturing environments that provide the consistency and trust needed by all children.

One of the major focuses of SCAFS is the Shared Care Program, which supports children and young people with disabilities who are no longer able to live with their own families. LCCQ is committed to providing much needed individualised assistance to children or young people with disabilities, who, due to various circumstances, cannot stay at home.

When do children need Foster Care?

Foster Care is where a child or young person is cared for by an individual, couple or family during a time when the child cannot live with his or her natural parents. The need for Foster Care arises when natural parents are simply unable to meet their children's needs. In these cases, children are placed in the care of a foster family to improve their physical, social and emotional development and to ensure their safety.

The children and young persons supported by SCAFS are of diverse pasts, situations and backgrounds. They:

• Will have complex needs;
• May have a physical or intellectual impairment;
• May be infants, toddlers, school-aged or teenagers;
• May have medical conditions or complications;
• May exhibit challenging behaviours;
• May have various ethnic backgrounds;
• May come from an Aboriginal or Islander background;
• May have been exposed to abuse or neglect;
• May have been physically, sexually or emotionally harmed;
• May have experienced trauma and/or attachment dysfunction.

What does it mean to become a Foster Carer?

Foster Carers provide nurturing, friendship, acceptance, security, stability, and appropriate care for the children or young persons who live with them. The roles and responsibilities of a Foster Carer are centred on providing a safe and caring living environment for the child or young person.

Drawing on their own life experiences, family and social networks and personal characteristics, Foster Carers take responsibility for the day-to-day care of a child, respond to and manage the child's needs and problems, create a positive and consistent routine in a relaxed environment, teach the child life skills and support the individual as they grow and develop into young adults.

A Primary Foster Carer with SCAFS provides full-time or part-time family based care in their home for a child or young person with a disability. As these children often have challenging behaviours and circumstances, they need a stable and loving environment.

A Respite Foster Carer with SCAFS is given an opportunity to be an important part of a child's life without having to commit to caring for a child on a full-time basis. Respite Carers help maintain primary placements by giving carers regular breaks, and provide another social network, new experiences and a range of interests for the child.

Foster Carers need support too!

LCCQ understands the true costs of care for children with complex needs. They also recognise that the foster family is the essential ingredient to a successful placement. Therefore, if you decide to become a specialist Foster Carer with SCAFS, you will be supported in many ways.

A range of additional supports are coordinated to assist Foster Carers in meeting their child's individual needs. These supports are especially tailored to the individual needs of each child to ensure that the they receive the most appropriate supports that meets their best interests. These support services may include:

• Support and regular visits from a professional caseworker;
• 24 hour on-call service to support Carers outside office hours;
• Ongoing training tailored to your foster child's needs (e.g. epilepsy training);
• Consultation with experts in the management of difficult behaviours or other issues; and
  
• Regular therapy tailored to your foster child's needs (e.g. physiotherapy).
  

If you're eager to register your interest in becoming a Foster Carer with SCAFS, or just to find out more, please fill in the questions below.