The matching process – where the needs of children and carers meet
Can I choose my foster child?
A common question that we’re asked by prospective foster carers is: can I choose my foster child? At the end of the day, as a foster parent, you want to ensure that the child/ren you are matched with are suitable for your lifestyle.
Anglicare Southern Queensland has been supporting foster and kinship carers and the children in their care for more than 30 years. Our expertise relies on our efficiency in understanding the preferences of both carers and children to ensure that they’re suitably matched.
Starting the journey to become a foster parent
When you commence your journey to becoming a foster parent, we’ll get to know you and your family. During this process, we’ll work with you to determine the type of child/ren you’re suitable to care for. Think of us as a bridge linking you and your foster child, helping you to build a connection with them.
Every foster child is different, they have their own stories and personal experiences. Carer families are selected for children based on whether we believe they can meet the needs of the individual child.
Understanding you
When taking the time to understand you (and your family) we’ll gather as much information as possible about you, including your motivation to care, your characteristics, skills and experience. This information will help inform us when we begin to match you with suitable children.
The matching process
As your foster care agency, we’ll work with the Department of Child Safety in the matching process between you and your foster child. Several steps are taken to ensure an appropriate match is made, including:
Gathering assessment information and making a referral
During this phase, Child Safety will provide us with information about the child, their birth families, information on other carers that they’ve potentially been placed with, and other support services. Important information is gathered to help us understand:
- The child’s support and care needs
- Whether they’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (including language and Island group). If so, the Department of Child Safety will arrange an independent entity for the child (in agreement with the child and their family) to facilitate participation decisions and determine where and with whom the child shall live
- If the child has any traumas they need to work through and their level of maturity.
Consultation also occurs with the child’s parents to discuss where and with whom the child should live.
Assessing carer capabilities
We’ll assess if you’re capable of caring for certain children based on the information provided to us about them. Additionally, we’ll determine if you require training to acquire certain skills to provide them with the best care experience. If we believe you’re capable of caring for that child, we’ll move to the planning supports phase for the proposed care arrangement.
Planning supports for proposed care arrangement
Again, we’ll collaborate with Child Safety to work with the most suitable available carer to identify gaps in the children’s needs and the carers capabilities. We’ll then identify how the children’s needs can be met by you and what skills and knowledge we can optimise for you to respond to them in the best way possible. This may include cultural sensitivity, and education support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, health and education support, and more.
Deciding if the child will live with you
If you’re a suitable match for the child, we’ll work with all relevant stakeholders to determine if they should come into your care.
Other factors
Some other factors that may be considered when matching you to a foster child are the age of the child and available rooms that you have in your home. For instance, although it’s highly recommended that children in care have their own rooms, for babies this recommendation is more lenient as babies can sleep in a cot inside of their carers room.
Additionally, the size of your home and number of family members that you have will also influence the quantity and types of children who may be matched with you to ensure comfortability and space.
In conclusion
If you’re wondering: ‘can I choose my foster child?’, it's important to understand that we’ll always endeavor to place a child in your care who’s most suited to your skill set and lifestyle. If we believe that you’d be a good carer for someone but might just require a few more skills to meet their needs, we’ll work with you to provide you with them.
For more information and resources to assist you in becoming the best foster carer, please visit https://www.youbeyou.org.au/resources/.
