A Fresh Start: reflecting on our first year as a foster care provider

‘A Fresh Start: reflecting on our first year as a foster care provider’ blog article was written by Shaun Chandran, General Manager, Therapeutic Services at Australian Childhood Foundation. 

As we approach our first anniversary as a foster care provider, we find ourselves reflecting on an incredible year marked by growth, learning and new beginnings.  

For over 25 years, Australian Childhood Foundation has supported thousands of foster carers, children and young people through partnerships with over 30 out-of-home care providers across Australia. Through our provision of specialist support to embed therapeutic approaches into out-of-home care, we have learnt what children, carers and care teams need to achieve the best outcomes.  

When we launched our foster care program in Western Australia on 22 February 2024, we embraced A Fresh Start approach for the foster carers who transferred over to our program. 

For us, A Fresh Start was not about wiping the slate clean or forgetting the past, it was about honouring the stories that came before and finding a new way forward together.  

We listened to the stories of our foster carers, many of whom had fostered for decades. Some were tired, even burnt out, and others felt unheard. We heard stories of hope and inspiration as well as stories of constant change, deep loss and broken trust. Their experiences within the system were often complex.  

One of our foster carers, who, after fostering for over a decade, described their transition to us as a turning point.

“We love fostering, but we were exhausted, burnt out from years of feeling unheard. Since moving to the Foundation, we have realised what we’ve been missing. The team have really taken the time to listen to us, help us make sense of the children’s behaviours, and work with us to find practical strategies. We’ve remembered why we started fostering in the first place.”

This year has been a journey of building trust, repairing relationships, and strengthening the bonds between children, carers and care teams.  

One child protection worker from the Department of Communities recently shared how our therapeutic approach has helped repair a relationship that was described as ‘broken’ when their foster carers first transferred to our program. 

“Since they started with the Foundation, we’ve seen our relationship with these carers improve significantly. These were carers who felt disillusioned and disconnected. Now, they’re more engaged and the relationships across the care team is stronger than it’s been in years.”

This renewal of trust and collaboration speaks to the essence of our therapeutic approach. Therapeutic care is not an add-on for us; it is our core. It is our foundation. 

Our team of Care Coordinators and Therapeutic Specialists provide wraparound support, helping carers navigate the complexities of the system while understanding the trauma behind a child’s behaviour, and the challenges it can evoke for themselves.  

As one foster carer shared, “The support our foster children and my own family has received from the Foundation team has been exceptional. We don’t feel like we have to do it alone any longer.”

This year has also reaffirmed our commitment to culturally strong care. Through our longstanding relationship with Dr Glenda Kickett and her newly formed ACCO, Karla Kuliny Aboriginal Corporation, we’ve worked together to embed cultural knowledge alongside therapeutic practices, ensuring Aboriginal children stay connected to their family, culture and community.  

Our Fresh Start approach has opened many new possibilities for children in our care. No two fresh starts look the same, but at the heart of each is a child finding their way with the right support around them. 

As we step into our second year, we carry forward the lessons learnt, the relationships nurtured, and the unwavering commitment to provide safe, loving, and understanding environments for every child.

Together, we continue to build a foster care community where fresh starts aren’t just possible – they’re a promise.

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