Foster Carers

The Hon. AILEEN MacDONALD (13:10:54):

I take note of the answer given by the Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Services to a question I asked about foster carers, as I have friends in Guyra who are foster carers. On Sunday 18 September My Forever Family hosted the 2022 Foster and Kinship Care Week Picnic. A number of our non‑government agency partners were also represented. I thank all of the volunteers from our non‑government agencies, from the Department of Communities and Justice and from My Forever Family, who helped make the day possible. We should all acknowledge that caring can be challenging, exhausting and rewarding. It is a journey like no other and our Government is focused on helping ensure our carers have the support they need.

The New South Wales Government provides support and training to foster carers through a number of services, including My Forever Family, to deliver recruitment, carer training, support and advocacy. That includes delivering the carer support line, face‑to‑face and online training and coaching sessions, and yarning sessions for Aboriginal carers; and facilitating carer reference groups, connection events, advocacy and support. AbSec's Aboriginal Care Support Service receives recurrent funding of $180,000 per annum to help it maintain the carer support line. It also delivers a number of programs that support placement stability and work with children and young people and their carers, including LINKS, which is delivered by the Department of Communities and Justice's psychological and specialist services, and OurSPACE, a statewide outreach trauma treatment service that is targeted towards children aged 15 years and younger in foster or kinship care who have experienced two or more placement changes in the preceding six months.

This year the New South Wales Government announced that it is extending paid parental leave to New South Wales public sector employees providing permanent out‑of‑home care to vulnerable children. This new initiative values the work that carers do in supporting vulnerable children, recognises the importance of developing a strong relationship with a child who has arrived in the family home and allows time to address their needs such as health and education. The New South Wales Government has set the standard on leave and entitlements to support carers. I call on the private sector and other employers to do the same.

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