Out of Home Care

A foster carer provides a supportive and safe home environment for children who have experienced trauma such as abuse or neglect and can no longer live with their families for a time. Foster carers provide care for children and young people until they can safely return to live with their family or when this is not possible, until they move to live with a new permanent family. Foster carers may also support children, young people and their families by providing respite care.

There is not one type of person who makes a good foster carer. We seek carers from a range of ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious backgrounds in order to meet the diverse needs of children requiring care. Carers can be single men or women, married, de facto or same-sex couples, with or without children.

To be eligible as a foster parent, you must also be prepared to undergo a National Police Check, hold a Working with Children Check (NSW) and be willing to have a Community Services Check completed. It is also an expectation that foster carers commit to participating in ongoing professional development to continue to learn and develop new skills.

Yes. All foster carers are required to complete mandatory training during the application process and be willing to participate in ongoing training to help them develop skills as a carer.

Yes. However, children who enter foster care often have very complex needs and require the commitment and support of all family members. With this in mind, it is crucial to talk with your children when considering fostering care to understand their views. We suggest you speak to our staff to help you determine whether fostering is right for you and your family at this time.

This is dependent on the needs of the child and the type of care you are providing. For permanent care, we might request one parent to be at home if the child has complex care needs however this is part of the matching process.  The goal is to find the right family for a child which will allow the child to grow and thrive.

Foster carers are paid a fortnightly allowance to cover the expenses of caring for a child such as food, clothing recreation and educational needs. The amount you receive is dependent on the age and complexity of the child you are caring for and does not affect other government benefits you may already be receiving. Financial support to foster carers is not considered a taxable income by the ATO.

In addition to the financial allowance, St Saviours provides a dedicated case manager, regular ongoing training, access to specialist services and an emergency support line that operates out of business hours and on weekends.

St Saviour’s operates in Sydney and Nowra as part of Anglicare NSW South, NSW West & ACT. Our Sydney-based services cover the following Local Government Areas:
Western Sydney: Auburn, Baulkham Hills Shire, Blacktown, Holroyd and Parramatta
Nepean/ Blue Mountains: Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith
South Western Sydney: Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Liverpool, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly

Out of home care (OOHC) is a temporary, short or long-term living arrangements for children and young people who cannot live at their family home. It is often referred to as foster care, however, there are many different types of care. These types of care include; emergency care, short term care, permanent care, respite care and residential care.

The Permanency Support Program (PSP) is the new terminology for OOHC in New South Wales. The name change reflects a significant overhaul to child protection and OOHC system in NSW.

CLICK HERE to read more about PSP.