How does foster care work?

Foster care provides a stable home for your child if they cannot live with you for a period of time.

Foster carers help by taking on the responsibility of caring for your child while you can receive support to improve your circumstances.

Children may be placed in foster care following a court order or a voluntary arrangement between the child’s guardian and a service provider.

You may decide to place your child into foster care if:

• they are at risk of serious harm or neglect
• they have been exposed to domestic violence, sexual assault or physical abuse.
• you or your child's other parent or carer is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse or is in jail.
• you or your child's other parent has mental health issues or an intellectual disability and is not able to look after them.

A foster parent may provide out-of-home care to your child for any length of time, from a single overnight stay to several years. There are different types of care that you can choose to provide, to best suit your lifestyle:

• emergency care — at short notice, for children who need it immediately
• respite care — short periods, to give other foster carers, kinship carers or parents a break
• short-term care — lasting from a few months up to 2 years
• long-term or permanent care — lasting longer than 2 years (usually when the child is not expected to be reunited with their birth parents)
• kinship care — where a child is fostered by a relative or someone they already know

Yes. Anyone can apply to be a foster carer, if you are committed to providing a safe, stable and supportive home. You don't have to have lots of money or own your own house.

Foster carers can be:

• single people
• couples, including same-sex couples
• people who do not have children
• people who already have children

Your child's foster carer needs to:

• be an adult (the minimum age will depend on the state or territory you live in)
• have a current working with children check
• be healthy
• be willing to undergo training
• have a safe and suitable home environment
• be prepared to provide a caring environment

Authorities across Australia have different legal requirements for fostering and kinship care. If you are thinking of placing your child in foster care, it may help to know that the foster carer has to meet certain requirements. 

Unlike fostering, kinship is a type of out-of-home care where the caregiver already has a relationship with your child.

The caregiver could be a relative, family friend, or a member of your community.

A kinship arrangement is often the first care option. It can be more stable for your child and allows them to keep a sense of their culture and family. It can also support children’s emotional wellbeing when separated from their parents.

There are different kinds of kinship arrangements:

• formal or statutory kinship placement — when the child has been placed by a child protection agency or through the court system.
• informal, private or non-statutory kinship — where the child is placed with someone they know, without any formal child protection intervention.

Foster care is often temporary. The aim is for your child to go back to living with you when it is safe. When you and your child are reunited, this is called restoration.

There are a few steps that must happen before restoration:

1. When your child goes into foster care, you will work with your caseworker to identify any changes you need to make so that your home is safe for your child. 
2. Your caseworker then needs to see that you are making these changes in your life. 
3. Your caseworker will write a plan that says when they think your child can come home. 

The decision about living arrangements is based on what is best for your child. You can speak to your caseworker to understand what support is available for you to help you make changes. 

Putting your child into foster care is a difficult decision. You may feel a lot of emotions such as sadness, grief, guilt or worry. You may also feel relieved. There is no right or wrong way to feel. 

Support is available. You can speak to: 

• a counsellor 
• your doctor 
• parenting and family support services
• your caseworker 

To find out more about how out-of-home care works in your state, contact your state government agency from the list below:

• New South Wales (NSW) — Department of Communities & Justice
• Victoria — Department of Families, Fairness and Housing  (Opens in new tab)
• Queensland — Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety (Opens in new tab)
• Western Australia (WA) — Department of Communities
• South Australia — Department for Child Protection
• Tasmania — Department for Education, Children and Young People
• Australian Capital Territory — Health and Community Services Directorate (Opens in new tab)
• Northern Territory — Community support and care

Visit How does adoption work? to find out more about adoption.

There are also many organisations that help parents so that they can be reunited with their child. If you need help making changes, contact: 

• Key Assets Australia (Opens in new tab) (WA, Victoria and NSW) 
• OzChild (Opens in new tab) (Melbourne and the Goulburn region)
• Anglicare (Opens in new tab)

There are many similar organisations. Talk to your caseworker about finding the best fit for you. 

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Contact Carers for Kids NSW (Opens in new tab) for information about kinship, foster care, emergency care and part-time care for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

SNAICC — National Voice for our Children (Opens in new tab) has a comprehensive list of child support services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples.