The difference is YOU
With almost 50,000 children across Australia needing care each year, Key Assets Australia are actively searching for people who can provide a safe, caring and supportive environment for children and young people.
Foster carers come from all backgrounds, race, sexual orientation, relationship status, income and home ownership status.
Becoming a foster carer is about more than qualifications and job titles, it’s about having life experience, strength, empathy, stability, understanding and the commitment to provide children in need a safe place to call home.
Could you be a foster carer?
To learn more about foster care Watch this Video.
Check your Eligibility for more information.
Who are Key Assets Australia?
Key Assets Australia is a non-government, not for profit organisation specialising in children’s services focused on achieving positive and lasting outcomes for children, families and communities. We have Foster Care services in Queensland, New
South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia
and Western Australia.
What does it take to be a Carer?
What do you need to know?
Foster care is about providing a safe, secure and stable home environment for a child or young person when they are unable to live with their birth family. Your compassion and commitment to helping those in your care will allow them to thrive.
We are an inclusive Foster Care Agency. Anyone can apply to become a foster carer with us. We work with foster carers who are single, married, co-habiting, divorced, gay, lesbian, heterosexual and or live with disabilities.
We embrace cultural diversity. We welcome carers from all cultures, all religions or no religious background.
During the assessment process you will be required to have a police check and obtain a working with Children Check.
All adult household members will need to be checked when you apply to become a foster carer, even if you’ll be the main foster carer.
We will generally only place a child in a home where he or she will have their own bedroom.
Foster care allowances don’t count as income, so aren’t taxed. It won’t affect applications for Commonwealth benefits or loan applications, either.
Key Assets offers a number of flexible types of foster care from emergency care, respite care to short term and long term placement options.
What support is available for Key Assets carers?
Carers with Key Assets receive a carers allowance in line with the needs of the individual child or young person placed. In addition to a dedicated social worker you will have access to:
Regular support group meetings with other carers
Comprehensive training
Access to regular supportive respite
Financial support
Social events for you and your family
24/7 access to support services
Therapeutic service
Supports for your biological children
More intensive support is also available for carers with children who have complex needs.
Connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities
We want to keep children connected to their culture and community. If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are interested in foster care please get in touch with us to discuss next steps.
Specialist Carers
We are looking for unique individuals who understand complex behaviours and can commit to caring for children and young people for at least 12 months. Our therapeutic model intends to not only transition a child successfully from residential placements environment to a fostering family environment, but prepare for permanence through either reunification, long term fostering or preparation for independence. If you consider yourself to have high resilience, experience in the sector and are committed to finding positive outcomes for children we would love to hear from you.
Real Stories
Emma and Adam
There are so many children in need and so few people willing to take the risk. I thank Key Assets for making a difference, the financial support means we can go beyond boundaries to give this child every opportunity to grow, develop and reach her potential whatever that may be.
Damien
Sometimes people think I’m a bit crazy trying to juggle the busyness of life in general with being a single foster carer and they ask why I do it. I think to myself, what is the alternative? These young people need someone to trust and rely on, someone to believe in them and tell them that they have the potential for great things. Often it is just having that one person who believes in you that makes the world of difference in the young person’s life. With the shortage of carers, if regular people like you and I don’t put our hands up to help, things would be so different.
Find out if you can foster
Please complete this eligibility quiz to see if you can become a foster carer.
Need more information?
If you would like more information before making your decision to be a foster carer please download our guide which covers what you need to know to help you get started.