A little space
can make
a big difference

About Wanslea

Wanslea Foster Care is a community based fostering agency in Perth, Western Australia. Wanslea Foster Care is committed to high quality care for children and excellence in support of foster carers.

Wanslea is a not for profit organisation who provide home based foster care for children up to 18 years who cannot live at home. Wanslea offer emergency, short break, temporary (up to 2 years) and permanent (orders until 18) foster care arrangements.

Emergency foster carers need to be able to commit to a minimum 7 days up to 21 days to provide stability for a child when they have just come into care.

Short break is provided to children who are already placed with foster carers. Short break can be for 1 night, a weekend or a school holiday break. Short break carers can become part of the child’s regular network of support and contribute to their stability in care.

Temporary care aligns with the initial orders that are granted when a child comes into care (Time Limited – up to 2 years), this allows the Department of Communities to work with parents and family to address the issues that saw the child come into care and reunify the child back to their family. A child is always best placed with their family and temporary carers can provide a safe and nurturing home environment whilst this occurs.

Permanent care arrangements are a long term commitment. Children who are placed on Protection Orders (Until 18), require an alternative place to live. The child will remain having contact with parents and their family even if they are on long term orders. It is important that carers who provide permanent care are able and willing to keep a child connected to their culture throughout their time in care.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Foster Carer, Wanslea holds Information Sessions across the year at various office locations. Click here for details

Wanslea Family Services was founded in 1943 by Florence Hummerston, a proud West Australian who worked tirelessly for the community. 

It had its origins in the Women’s Australian National Service (WANS) War fund, which was established in 1941 with Mrs Hummerston as the Foundation President. The WANS group established a home in Perth where children of servicemen whose wives were ill could be cared for to let their mothers rest and recover.

After the war, when the WANS ceased their duties, a Wanslea Hostel Committee was formed to continue the service offered by the home. Mrs Hummerston was again the foundation president. 

Eventually, the official title of the committee was changed to Wanslea Hostel for Children of Sick Mothers Inc. The main objective of the organisation was ‘to maintain a home for children when their mothers are sick or in hospital and in cases where a mother urgently needs a rest or a change’.

Today, Wanslea continues to provide a valuable service to more than 1500 West Australian children and their families every year. 

To find out more about Wanslea’s range of children and family services, visit the Wanslea website.

Foster care is temporary or long term care for children who are unable to live with their birth families because of abuse or neglect, parental illness, domestic violence or other reasons that impact on their parenting. A foster carer takes on a parental role to these children and provides love, security and understanding in a safe environment. 

Foster carers are married, same sex couples, gay or lesbian, single, separated, divorced or living with a partner. They are working parents and homemakers. If you are 21 or older and have enough room in your heart and home, you can apply to become a foster carer.

Types of foster care
Wanslea offer emergency, short break, temporary (up to 2 years) and permanent (orders until 18) foster care arrangements.

Emergency foster carers need to be able to commit to a minimum 7 days up to 21 days to provide stability for a child when they have just come into care.

Short break is provided to children who are already placed with foster carers. Short break can be for 1 night, a weekend or a school holiday break. Short break carers can become part of the child’s regular network of support and contribute to their stability in care.

Temporary care aligns with the initial orders that are granted when a child comes into care (Time Limited – up to 2 years), this allows the Department of Communities to work with parents and family to address the issues that saw the child come into care and reunify the child back to their family. A child is always best placed with their family and temporary carers can provide a safe and nurturing home environment whilst this occurs.

Permanent care arrangements are a long term commitment. Children who are placed on Protection Orders (Until 18), require an alternative place to live. The child will remain having contact with parents and their family even if they are on long term orders. It is important that carers who provide permanent care are able and willing to keep a child connected to their culture throughout their time in care.

Specialised Foster Care is required for children who have high developmental and behavioural needs. Children on specialised fostering orders will require a high level of commitment and skill by the carer/s. An excellent knowledge of the impact of trauma on a child who has experienced abuse or neglect, attachment styles, child development and therapeutic approaches to care are required. Providing care to a child on a specialised fostering order can be challenging and will require a carer to be able to be available throughout the day to attend appointments, interventions and school to support the child.

Why are children in care?
Children in foster care range in age from infants through to 18 year olds. They come from a variety of different backgrounds and ethnic groups. Children normally come into care due to abuse, neglect or parental illness, often caused by family violence, drug and alcohol use or mental health issues. Children in care have often suffered trauma prior to coming into care and foster carers need to assist them to heal from their difficult start to life.
Some children require special care due to physical or behavioural issues, however they all need love, affection and guidance. Children may need to stay in care for a very short period of time, or for a number of months or years.

Support
Wanslea Foster Care offers volunteer carers the following:

  • A professional and experienced care team comprised of Social Workers to provide support, advocacy and case management for children in your care and practical support by Family Support Workers.
  • Four different office locations for ease of access.
  • Placement support when needed in the home of Foster Carers, delivered by Wanslea’s skilled Family Support Workers.
  • Practical assistance in provision of child care equipment.
  • Clear policies and procedures.
  • After hours on call support service by a team of Social Workers seven days a week.
  • Regular training in a relaxed environment.
  • Peer support from other foster carers.
  • Family and children’s social events throughout the year.
  • Prompt payment of foster care subsidies and reimbursement of expenses.

Do I have
what it takes?

How to become a foster parent

A foster carer is someone who can make room in their home and heart for children who need temporary or long term care. They’re loving, compassionate people who can handle stressful situations. They’re flexible and willing to work as part of a team. Most of all, a foster carer is someone who wants to make a real difference to a child’s life.
Apart from having the above personal traits, potential foster carers must also meet other specific criteria. These include:

  • You must be at least 21 years of age
  • Your marital status or relationship should be stable and unchanged over the past year
  • You should be physically, emotionally and financially stable. However we have a fantastic support team available if required
  • You should not have had a major illness or trauma during the past 12 months
  • You should be able to provide the children with their own room and storage space

Do you have
room for a
foster child?

The process after you apply

If we agree to proceed with your application the following process will occur:

All prospective foster carers will need to provide a National Police Clearance Certificate, apply for a Working with Children Card and undertake the Department for Communities online ‘Form 395’ screening check.

Letters will be sent to personal and work referees seeking information about you and your family.

Upon the successful return of the Police Clearance & Department for Child Protection information, Wanslea will initiate the formal assessment process.

Assessments will take between 3-4 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 Preparation Training which is the equivalent of 19 hours of training. Other training and workshop participation will be identified with interested applicants.

All Foster Carers will need to undertake online Child Safe training prior to approval and provide certificate of training to their assessor.

All Foster Carers will need to undertake Cultural Awareness training.

Once the assessment is complete and the assessor determines that you are suitable to be recommended as Foster Carers, you will be invited to attend a panel at Wanslea. The panel is made up or senior staff in Wanslea’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.

All approved foster carers will be inducted into Wanslea Foster Care before their first placement.

Please fill in the form

This is the first step to get the process started.

Caring for
Aboriginal Children

Connecting with Aboriginal culture
and family network

Aboriginal children are over represented in foster care. Wanslea believe that where possible, Aboriginal children should be cared for by Aboriginal carers. Wanslea Foster Care strives to connect Aboriginal children with their culture and with their family network.

Wanslea are urgently requiring Aboriginal families to become provide foster care. We encourage you to contact our office and discuss your interest in becoming foster carers.

For non-Aboriginal carers, if you are approved to care for Aboriginal children, you will be required to undertake cultural awareness training and work with Wanslea and Department of Communities staff to develop, implement and support a cultural plan that will provide opportunities for cultural healing and support for Aboriginal children.

Kaartdijin Mia Mia Library

The Wanslea Aboriginal Resource Library opened on Friday 31 March 2017 and is a valuable resource to Aboriginal children in out of home care and their carers.

The library is named ‘Kaartdijin Mia Mia’ meaning ‘Home of knowledge’ in Noongar language. The library has been described by Aboriginal Elders to be a significant resource available to Aboriginal children to enable them to identify with their culture and feel a sense of security and belonging.

The library is a place where children are always welcome to come and browse and often there will be an Aboriginal Elder in attendance to allow for carers and children to learn about their culture first hand.

This library is open to all foster carers from any agency in Western Australia. It has books, toys, CDs, DVDs and other educational resources particularly for Aboriginal children.

To access the Kaartdijin Mia Mia library please call 08 9425 2441 and ask to speak with a Foster Care Family Support Worker

Please contact Wanslea Foster Care team to find out more about fostering Aboriginal children and helping to keep them connected to culture and family.

Spaces needed
for small hearts
in the Great Southern

Great Southern Fostering

Wanslea Foster Care offers foster care in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The Great Southern comprises the City of Albany and the Shires of Broomehill-Tambellup, Cranbrook, Denmark, Gnowangerup, Jerramungup, Katanning, Kent, Kojonup, Manjimup, Plantagenet and Woodanilling.

Click here for a map of the region.

Wanslea Foster Carers are supported by professional staff, learning and development and access to equipment and other resources.

If you or someone you know lives in the Great Southern region and would like to find out more about fostering at Wanslea, email fostercare@wanslea.org.au or call us on 9843 0070 to speak to one of our staff about fostering.

See how a little
space can make
a big difference

Success Stories

Wanslea Foster Journeys

Jodie and Meaghan

Jodie and Meaghan are friends and foster carers. They live in the Southern suburbs of Perth and 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 Wanslea. Each of the young people has a different perspective but they all highlight the positive difference that their foster carers made in their lives.

Foster Now!

Wanslea Foster Carers Dana and Gary and Teresa and Mark speak about their fostering experiences. Both couples give different perspectives on fostering and highlight some of the challenges as well as the rewards that they have experienced.

Helping those
who help children

Providing Support to Foster Carers

Every night, Wanslea foster carers provide a stable, safe and nurturing home to children who cannot live with their own families. Our experience shows that they thrive when they live in a supportive, stimulating environment, connected to community. We are reaching out to community members to help us build a supportive network for foster carers and children in their care. Foster Friends can support our most precious resource – foster carers.

 We also need your help to find more foster carers to meet the growing demand. Western Australia’s foster care system is under pressure and we urgently need more foster carers to care for children who otherwise remain at risk.

Wanslea Foster Care recruits and supports foster carers who provide therapeutic, safe and thriving homes for children who are unable to live with their parents.

We aim to provide these families with a community of support to equip them to succeed. Foster Friends are volunteers who provide back up support to foster families by: preparing meals, running errands, mentoring, tutoring, babysitting, donating clothes, furniture, toys, books, helping with transport, preparing first night bags for children entering foster care, and helping with recreational and holiday activities.

Providing this kind of support is critical if we want to encourage caring families to become and remain foster families. The Foster Friends program ensures that foster families have the help they need, when they need it, within their community.

For more information on Foster Friends, call (08) 9245 2441 or email fosterfriends@wanslea.org.au

Wanslea Foster Carers in Perth Western Australia speak about their experiences of being supported by volunteers from their communities. Volunteer foster friends provide support such as child minding, food preparation, respite, activities for children and a listening ear.