Gillian

Meet Gillian

Gillian is a paediatric nurse with a lot of experience working with children with disabilities and complex needs. She is also a foster carer in Queensland, and she cares for children with disabilities or complex challenges and behaviours.

Every child in care has their own specific needs based on their age, life experiences, trauma or medical needs, and 'intensive' foster carers – like all foster carers – need to be open to learning what they can do to help children reach their full potential. It can be really helpful for these carers if they have previous experience working with kids, as Gillian does with her background in paediatric nursing.

Gillian sat down with Life Without Barriers to answer questions and share her experience being a foster carer for children and young people with complex needs.

What drew you to providing intensive foster care?

"I’ve always had an interest in children and their behaviours, and Jane* has taught me a lot!" Gillian shared.

What is your advice for caring for a child with complex needs?

Gillian already had experience working with children with complex behaviours, she knew that one of the most important things she could give Jane was her time. Gillian even decided to put work on hold for the first 18 months of their time with Jane so that she could prioritise this.

"Really, it was getting back to that basic stuff, just being there for Jane," Gillian said.

"Being reliable – you’d put her to bed, you’d wake her up, you take her to school, you’re there when she’s upset, and if she had questions to ask, you’d give her the best answer that you could."

How do you provide support during challenging moments?

Children in care can present as angry and unable to regulate their emotions. This is a normal response to trauma and pain, and with the love and patience of carers like Gillian, supported by training and tools from Life Without Barriers, children’s behaviour can change over time.

"Jane would lose control and find it difficult to regulate. Slowly, by putting boundaries in place, working on communication, and encouraging Jane to talk about difficult feelings she was having and where they were coming from, she was able to regulate her behaviour and express herself."

"I support Jane by ensuring she feels safe and placing her needs at the forefront of decision-making, discussing expectations with her, talking about feelings, and maintaining her usual routine."

*Name changed to protect children in care.