Foster Carers (Long-Term)
Job No:
64464
Location:
Adelaide Metro & SA Country Regions
- Every child has the right to a safe, loving and secure home. There are children in your community who need your help.
- Become part of an award-winning not-for-profit organisation to support vulnerable children and young people in need.
- Extensive support, on-going training and access to 24-7 on-call support provided and weekly tax-free reimbursement of $650
About the Organisation
Life Without Barriers (LWB) is a not-for-profit organisation working to support children and young people in crisis. The organisation is a leading provider of care in Australia and New Zealand and is renowned for its flexibility, innovation and strong community focus. Since inception in 1995, LWB has expanded into every Australian State and Territory and is now expanding into New Zealand. We provide support services in the areas of Out of Home Care, Disability, Mental Health, Homelessness and Refugees and Asylum Seekers. LWB has experienced rapid growth and a dramatic increase in demand for services.
WINNER: 2007 Australian Business Awards - Innovation
WINNER: 2007 and 2008 MAP Marketing - Fastest Growing Business
Foster Care at Life Without Barriers
Foster care involves caring for children or young people who are not able to live safely with their family. Life Without Barriers in SA provides specialised or ‘therapeutic’ foster care to children and young people aged between 5 – 17 who require long-term care (i.e. until they reach the age of 18). Children and young people in care have often experienced trauma, grief and loss. As a result of this, these young people often have high and complex needs and behaviours.
At Life Without Barriers, we train and support Carers to provide therapeutic care, with the aim of helping children and young people to heal and recover from the effects of trauma in their childhood. A carer’s relationship with a child is the core element of therapeutic care and the key to growth and positive change. Therapeutic carers have a high level of empathy and patience, and have a willingness to see past a child’s behaviours and learn about their underlying emotional needs. Life Without Barriers focus on providing the highest level of support to the carers who provide this invaluable care to children in need. We offer a very high level of personal support and guidance from dedicated support workers, on-going specialised training, in-house clinical services and our innovative therapeutic “Living Arts” program.
About the Opportunities
Life Without Barriers currently has rewarding opportunities for compassionate people to become Long-Term Foster Carers and welcome a child into their home and family.
Carers can be singles or couples, including same-sex couples, with or without children of their own. We are looking for caring people who are willing to make a long-term commitment to nurture a child or young person, help them to experience positive family life and form positive relationships, and find a place to belong as they grow into young adults.
In this highly rewarding and fulfilling role, you will be providing a nurturing, stable and supportive home environment for a child or young person aged 5 - 17 years. You'll be providing a high level of emotional support and care to help meet the young persons day-to-day needs, including their educational, recreational, cultural, and religious needs.
Additionally, you'll be participating in ongoing training and development as you work with Life Without Barriers to assist you in supporting and achieving goals for the the person in your care. Importantly, you will help support the young person in your care in maintaining their connection with their communities of origin.
Importantly, you must be aged 25 or older and be able to a provide safe, hygienic, and smoke-free home environment with a suitable spare bedroom, and any children of your own living at home must be at least 8 years of age. You'll be able to demonstrate that you are a calm, patient, resilient and flexible individual, and you will be prepared to work with a team of professionals and commit to ongoing training and development to provide the best care possible.
Life Without Barriers Foster Carers receive a high level of training, support and reimbursement to reflect the specialist care they provide:
- Life Without Barriers carers receive a tax-free reimbursement of $650 per week
- All carers have regular and ongoing advice and support in person (fortnightly) and over the phone from a dedicated Support Worker, and access to 24-hour support.
- Our carers receive a high level of accredited training, on-going professional development opportunities, and training that is specifically tailored to help them meet the needs of the young person in their care.
- You'll have access to respite on a fortnightly or monthly basis (as needed), our innovative arts therapy program, mentoring for the child in your care, and experienced clinicians (available to work with the young person and/or the family).
- Life Without Barriers supports carers to help the child in their care develop their sense of identity and maintain connections with their family of origin, language, religion, cultural heritage and community links.
- Carers also enjoy access to regular networking events including picnics, morning teas and peer support events where you can meet and share experiences and ideas with other carers.
In selecting Foster Carers, Life Without Barriers will consider each applicant's maturity, health, capacity and experience in working with or caring for young people with complex and challenging needs. All successful applicants will be required to undertake a Screening and Licensing Check before commencement of the assessment process.
Life Without Barriers are committed to Aboriginal children and young people in our care receiving culturally appropriate care that supports their identity, culture, connection to family, country and community whilst maintaining their safety. At the moment, we have a number of Aboriginal children and young people needing Foster Carers. We strongly encourage people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background to apply for these positions.
Becoming a Foster Carer is a challenging yet extremely satisfying and rewarding role, where you will make the world of difference in the life of a child and truly make a positive impact within your community. Foster carers are the heart of our program; they play a vital role in the positive outcomes achieved for vulnerable children and young people in care.
For more information about these fulfilling opportunities please click here.
All applications are considered by the Life Without Barriers Out-of-Home-Care Pre-Placement Team. Successful candidates will be contacted by telephone to arrange an information session. Unsuccessful applicants will be informed by telephone or in writing.
You can phone 8415 6900 if you would like to speak to one of our friendly Pre-Placement Support Team members to find out more.