Carers, their families and communities shape brighter futures for children and young people in care.
Image: Carers and staff gathered in a large group, smiling at the camera.
From 8 - 14 September* 2024, Life Without Barriers staff and carers came together to celebrate carers. Foster Care Week is an annual event, dedicated to recognising the invaluable contributions of foster and kinship carers.
This Foster and Kinship Care Week, we gathered at events across Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania to celebrate our incredible foster carers and kinship carers and acknowledge their dedication and the support they give every day to children and young people in care.
Victoria
Life Without Barriers hosted an event for carers in Melbourne, to show our appreciation for the work they do every day. At the event we heard from Louise, a young person in care, who shared insights into her experience and some thoughts about why carers are so impactful in young people’s lives.
"Thank you for having such a huge impact in our lives and thank you for opening your hearts, homes and love to kids like us. Thank you for giving us a better opportunity in life," Louise said.
The afternoon was a great opportunity for carers to connect with each other and a few carers went home with awards, some carers won raffles, and everyone left with cake.
Alex and Derek are respite and emergency carers with Life Without Barriers and shared that they love being the fun aunty and uncle when they are needed.
"Our kids, 10 and 13, love when we have young people for the weekend. They show them where the snacks are and take them to the park." Said Derek.
Alex and Derek also won in the raffle and took home a beautiful painting.
"Today has been really lovely, we have had so many foster and kinship carers from across Victoria come together to meet, share stories and celebrate. We had good food, a few awards to give out, and a lovely Welcome to Country from Wurundjeri man, Daniel Ross," said Kylie Drummy, Director Child, Youth, and Family, VIC.
"Getting our carers together for events like Foster Care Week is only a small gesture of our appreciation. Really, they need to be thanked each and every day for the wonderful care they provide."
"We couldn't do this without them, and it has been a lovely afternoon in Melbourne, I think that's pretty special."
Sharron and Davis are kinship carers in country Victoria and loved coming into Melbourne for the special lunch.
"We have been taking care of our four grandkids for the last few years and are supported by Life Without Barriers. There was no question of whether we would look after them, they are family." Sharron said.
New South Wales
The Sydney Family Based Care and Education teams joined the My Forever Family Foster and Kinship Care Picnic in Penrith, New South Wales.
It was a fun-filled day for our carers, young people and staff with family-friendly activities, rides, food stalls, entertainment, and a petting zoo.
The picnic was a wonderful opportunity for staff and carers to come together and connect with Department of Communities and Justice staff and other foster care service providers and celebrate the valuable work carers do in providing safe and nurturing homes for children and young people.
"Foster and Kinship Care Week is an opportunity to honour the incredible dedication and compassion of our foster carers. We thank them for their unwavering commitment to nurturing and guiding children," said Marden Abdulla, Regional Director, Family Based Care.
"Their impact is profound and deeply appreciated every single day."
Tasmania
We had a great time celebrating our amazing foster and kinship carers across the North and North West of Tasmania. Our carers in the North West gathered for a morning tea and celebrated over some delicious platters and coffees.
We followed that celebration with a pizza night in Launceston with our carers and their families. Everyone had a lovely night, and we were all a bit surprised with just how big the pizzas where!
"It was lovely for our carers to connect, share stories and mingle with other carers and staff," said Michelle Murray, Manager Carer Experience.
"We are all so grateful for our carer families and the ongoing impact they have on young people’s lives. We hope that we have been able to show them just a small amount of our appreciation for everything they do."
South Australia
Over in South Australia, carers and staff in the Child, Youth and Family space attended the South Australian Child Protection Awards celebrated the achievements of individuals, carers, and organisations in the child protection sector. Life Without Barriers was recognised for our outstanding contributions.
The Living Arts team at Life Without Barriers received the "Voice of Children and Young People in Care" award for empowering children in care to express their stories through creativity. Resident Artist Phi Theodoros praised the team for amplifying young voices using diverse artistic mediums.
Keshia and Dale were honoured as "Kinship Carers of the Year" for their dedication to raising their nieces and nephew alongside their three children. Keshia highlighted the importance of keeping siblings together and expressed her pride in being a kinship carer.
Additionally, Flinders University received the "Outstanding Service, Sector Development" award for its MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ Program, which strengthens support networks for foster carers. Life Without Barriers, holding the program's replication license, encouraged other organisations to adopt it.
The awards, held on 6 September 2024 at Adelaide Oval, acknowledged the vital work of carers, volunteers, and organisations in creating safe environments for children in care.
*Foster Care Week is celebrated in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania during September.
If you are considering becoming a carer with Life Without Barriers, please find more information for your state below:
Become a foster carer in New South Wales
Become a foster carer in South Australia
Become a foster carer in Tasmania
Become a foster carer in Victoria
Become a foster carer in Western Australia
