Fostering with us

WE ARE LOOKING FOR FOSTER CARERS ON THE CENTRAL COAST, NORTHERN SYDNEY & THE NORTHERN BEACHES

CatholicCare is seeking families to provide essential support, care and stability for children and young people affected by family breakdown, to enable them to recover and thrive. Through our suite of services, and the dedication of our specialist support teams and foster carers, we are transforming the lives of children and young people to create positive futures. Our priority is to ensure these children and young people have a safe, stable home.

The Central Coast has a population of around 337,000 and with 74,500 people under the age of 18. In 2017, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services recorded almost 5,000 instances of children and young people being subject to significant risk of harm on the Central Coast, a figure almost 25% higher than the state average. Across the region there are almost 1,300 children and young people in Out of Home Care – foster care, group homes or supported care with kin or relatives. This is also far above the state average. Northern Sydney and the Northern Beaches also face their own challenges and we need local support.

A range of social factors contribute to the number of children and young people entering care – most commonly domestic violence and abuse and neglect. The impact is often lifelong. These children and young people are more likely to end up in the youth justice system and have far poorer education, employment and health outcomes. They will likely enter a cycle of social disadvantage that is difficult to escape, with potential impacts on their own children. We need to turn this around.

Children over the age of five struggle to find a foster home because many people consider them ‘too old and in the system too long’. Kids come into care at all stages and they all need loving homes.