Children and young people living in rural and regional Victoria are over-represented in the child protection system.

With 42% of children in out-of-home care living in inner or outer regional areas[1], and children in remote and very remote areas combined being twice as likely to be in care as those in major cities[2], there is an urgent need for more foster carers in these areas.

In Victoria’s Hume region, Berry Street currently has 39 foster carers who provide different types of care for 47 children, from short term to long term and respite care. But the organisations needs more people to step up on this rewarding journey.

The number of children needing care can vary from day to day with children exiting and entering care due to planned exits or court outcomes.

Alan and Lindie from Yea have been foster carers for 28 years and have cared for countless children and young people in that time.  With a shared commitment and partnership towards fostering children in need, they regularly look after up to four children from newborns to six year olds.

Alan and Lindie encourage people interested in foster caring to speak to Berry Street as there are a lot of children in the Hume region that need safe and secure homes.

“We are always looking for the right people to help us care for children who can’t live safely at home. Anyone over 21 can be a foster carer, as long as they have a spare room for a child,” said Sharelle Davidson, Senior Manager Child and Family Services (Berry Street Shepparton).

“People with experience working with children or in community services, such as teachers, disability workers and aged care workers, make excellent carers, as do many others,” said Sharelle.

Berry Street is celebrating the outstanding work that foster carers do to help children in care across rural and regional Victoria.

These carers open their homes and hearts to children impacted by trauma or family violence.

“At Berry Street we are only as good as our foster carers and they are the best.  Day after day they do an incredible job for their local communities in providing stable, safe environments for the children in their care,” said Sharelle.

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The socio-economic conditions that children experience can influence their likelihood to be involved in the child protection system and regional and remote areas tend to have higher levels of disadvantage[1] compared to metropolitan areas.

At the same time, rural and regional areas tend to have less access to services that assist vulnerable families[2].

People decide to become foster carers for a variety of reasons. Whether they were children in care themselves and want to give back or they find it rewarding, their philosophy is summed up in this idea - one person can’t change the world, but I can change the world for one person.

Children in remote areas also had the highest rates of substantiations[3] – meaning that the child is in need of protection because they have been, or are likely to be, harmed due to violence, abuse and/or neglect.

Children from very remote areas were four times as likely as those from major cities to be the subject of a substantiation[4].

If you or someone you know wants to be a foster carer, you can call the Hume region’s office on 03 5822 8100 or enquire through the Berry Street website: https://www.berrystreet.org.au/foster-and-kinship-care/enquire.

About Berry Street

Berry Street was established in Melbourne in 1877 and today is one of Australia’s largest child and family services organisations. Berry Street works with children, young people and families who have suffered harm as a result of violence, abuse and neglect.

Berry Street provides a range of services and programs in Victoria such as residential care and foster/kinship care for children who can no longer live safely at home; family violence services predominantly for women and children; as well as innovative programs to help children, young people and families recover from violence, neglect and abuse.

For more information - www.berrystreet.org.au

[1] Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, 2013
[2] Child Protection Inquiry, 2012
[3] AIHW Child Protection Australia 2017-18 report
[4] AIHW Child Protection Australia 2017-18 report

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