From start to finish, the steps to become a foster carer take around six months.
- Step 1
Learn about foster care
Learning about the roles and responsibilities of a foster carer can help you understand how you will be involved in a child's life.
Foster care is different to adoption
Request information
Complete the online request form and information will be posted to you.
You can also:
- phone 1300 2 367 837
- contact an agency about attending an information session.
You can decide not to proceed at any step in this process.
- Step 2
Contact a foster care agency
If you proceed, you'll need to choose a foster care agency to work with you. They will:
- send you an information pack
- arrange to meet you and your household.
Your first meeting
When you meet with the agency, they will:
- discuss the process in detail
- answer your questions
- meet any members of your family or household.
- Step 3
Submit an application
The foster care agency you are dealing with will provide the application form. Once you complete it, they'll arrange the appropriate checks for you and your family.
Checks include:
- working with children checks for all adults living at home - Department of Human Services Screening Unit
- child protection checks - Department for Child Protection
- referee checks
- a medical check.
An assessment worker from the agency will also confirm that your home is safe for children.
- Step 4
Assessment appointments
Six assessment sessions are carried out in your home. Each session runs for around 2 hours.
The assessment helps the agency to:
- understand your lifestyle and circumstances
- place children who fit well with important parts of your life.
- learn about your affinity and experience with children.
The agency will also discuss your options if they are concerned you're not suitable or not ready to foster a child. Options could include placing the assessment on hold or suggesting you withdraw the application.
You can ask the agency to include your views in the final assessment report (step 6) if you don't agree with what they suggest. You could also ask about their grievance processes.
Some agencies will train and assess at the same time, while others will assess first, then train you.
- Step 5
Training
All foster carers are trained to provide quality care. The training also ensures carers fully understand their role.
Training through the foster care agency will include learning about:
- identity and contact with birth families
- teamwork
- grief and loss
- responding to challenging behaviours
- maintaining cultural connections
- providing first aid
- foster care in South Australia
- mandated notifying - a one-day course on child safe environments
- infant safety - a 2 hour session for people who will care for children aged below two.
- Step 6
Agency recommendation
The foster care agency will discuss your application and if you're suitable to foster a child. Then they will submit an assessment report to the Department for Child Protection.
- Step 7
Approval to foster
The Department for Child Protection is responsible for approving carers and could request more information before making their decision.
Contact
Foster Care Services
Phone 1300 2 367 837
Related information
On this site
Other websites
Carers in South Australia - Department for Child Protection
