RECENT efforts by local organisations to recruit urgently needed foster carers have achieved little success.
Both Mallee Family Care and Swan Hill Aboriginal Family Services are actively seeking foster carers to cater for local children who are not able to live at home, often due to violence.
Mallee Family Care’s recent Dare to Foster campaign resulted in six applications with three applicants now either accredited or completing the course, while Swan Hill Aboriginal Family Services’ advertising resulted in 12 applications with only three applicants approved.
Of particular concern to Swan Hill Aboriginal Family Services home-based care and kinship case worker Kristy Gordon was the challenge of recruiting carers who would respect the cultural identity of Indigenous children.
“There is such a demand,” she said.
While there has always been a local need for foster carers, it was increasing, according to Mallee Family Care Southern Mallee general manager Michael Adamson.
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of
The Guardian (16/11/12)
