Thinking about
becoming
a foster carer?
Want to know more about fostering?
A foster carer is someone who can make room in their home and heart for children that need temporary or long-term care.
Are you loving, compassionate, resilient, flexible, a team-player and want to make a real difference in a child’s life?
You could be a foster carer! Apart from having the above personal traits, potential foster carers must also meet specific criteria, including:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be physically, emotionally and financially stable.
- Have not had a major illness or trauma during the past 12 months
- Be able to provide the children with their own room and storage space
Do you have
room for a
foster child?
Becoming a foster carer
There are a number of steps in becoming a foster carer, the below details the process:
Uplyft will assist all prospective foster carers to obtain a National Police Clearance Certificate, apply for a Working with Children Card and undertake the Department for Communities online ‘Form 395’ screening check.
Uplyft will make phone calls and send email to personal and work referees seeking information about you and your family.
Once Uplyft’s team receives the Police Clearance and Department for Child Protection information, we will initiate the formal assessment process. Once Uplyft has received your screening clearances, we will initiate the formal assessment process.
Assessment will take approximately four interviews and will cover Family History /Family Life/Family Relationships/Social History/Understanding Fostering and Responding to children in care.
All prospective applicants will be required to attend Uplyft Preparation Training which is the equivalent of 19 hours of training. Other training and workshop participation will be identified with interested applicants.
All applicants will need to complete Uplyft Child Safe training and ACF Safeguarding Children training online prior to their approval as carers.
In addition, Foster Carers will also need to undertake Uplyft Cultural Awareness training.
Once the assessment is complete and the assessor determines that you are suitable to be recommended as a Foster Carer, you will be invited to attend a panel at Uplyft. The panel is made up of senior staff in Uplyft’s Foster Care program, a cultural representative, independent representative and your assessor. You will be asked some questions in relation to your Foster Care assessment to determine your suitability. Following panel, you will hear back from us with a decision within 48 hours.
All approved foster carers will be inducted into Uplyft Foster Care before their first placement.
Please fill in the form
This is the first step to get the process started.
See how
a little space
can make
a big difference
Success Stories
Uplyft Foster Journeys
Bec and Ben
Bec and Ben provide care to younger children. Both carers believe strongly that children should be with their families and that foster families and birth families should work together to create a positive environment for children in care.
I was a Foster Child
Larnie, Ernie and Mitchell were all in foster care and in this film they describe their experiences of being in care and speak about the support they received from foster carers and from Uplyft. Each of the young people has a different perspective but they all highlight the positive difference that their foster carers made in their lives.
Kirby’s Story
Watch Kirby’s story as she shares as experience as a foster parent and her biggest advice to people who are thinking about fostering.
