Foster care is when a child who is unable to live with their birth family, lives with another family who is able to provide them with all the care and support they need by allowing them to live in a safe, secure and nurturing home.
This care can range from an overnight stay, through to longer term. While it is preferable for children to return to their families this is not always possible, so some children will need foster care until they turn 18 years old.

Why do children come into care?

Uniting Country SA believes that all children have the right to flourish and grow in a safe, stable environment. However, there are times when this is not possible and children are not safe or parents are unable to provide adequate care, which is why UCSA provides foster care.

Many of these children have experienced significant trauma in their lives, so we require foster carers that are able to help children overcome difficulties from their past. We help children recover their capacity and familiarity for consistency, love, kindness and patience.

Support for Foster Carers

Foster carers provide a key role in helping a foster child feel part of the family which can be both extremely rewarding and challenging. Because of this, UCSA provides as much support as possible to our carers to celebrate the good and make it through the challenges of being a foster carer.
Our foster carers are provided with a dedicated Foster Care support worker who will help guide our foster carers through the highs and the lows of caring for a child or young person. We also have a 24/7 on call support available to all our carers.

We are able to offer additional specialised training to further assist foster carers to gain extra skills and knowledge they may require to meet the needs of children in their care. There are support opportunities to share experiences with other foster carers at our regular coffee mornings. These catch up events allow you to meet other foster carers, share stories, and meet up with your support worker in a less formal more social environment.

UCSA are incredibly grateful for all who who open their hearts and their home to a child or young person needing to be in care.

If you are interested in learning more, call us on (08) 8633 9023 or email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, complete our enquiry form by clicking the button below, and have us contact you.

Enquiry form

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Funded by the State Government, Department for Child Protection