Wayne and Robyn's story

Meet Wayne and Robyn. They have been foster carers for the past six years, providing respite care for more than 20 children. The type of care that they provide for children and young people is also referred to as short-break and it gives their primary carers time to rest or do things for themselves. 

Keep reading to learn more about their experience as carers and what they enjoy most about it. 

“Our inspiration to become carers came after Robyn had left the education department. She missed having children around. We’ve provided care for 22 children over the last six years. We currently look after five children from two different families but have been approved to care for up to seven.  

“We tend to look after several groups of siblings at a time and we find this helps them know that they’re not alone and to grow their social skills 

“Of the children we’ve cared for, we still have contact with four of them. We have some contact with their mother, as well. 

“Our tips for dealing with the reunification process, for the children and their families, is to encourage the children to attend contact with their birth family and explain to them that it was not their fault that they were removed. 

“The best memories we have created are from receiving small hand-made presents and cards from the children we’ve cared for that say how we’ve been the best respite carers they’ve had.  

“It’s a great pleasure to see the smiles and changes in the children from the first time you meet them to how happy they are as they grow with you. We also like the fact that we’re giving full-time carers a well-deserved rest. 

“The advice that we could give new carers is to be patient and be prepared for the unexpected, as all these children have been through some sort of trauma in their lives. It’s a very rewarding experience so we encourage you to go out and give it a go. 

“Working with Anglicare has been excellent. They arrange training days and monthly catch up’s, which gives us great support when it’s needed.” 

Thank you, Wayne and Robyn, for the care and support you provide for young people and their primary carers. To learn more about respite care or how it could fit into your lifestyle, we encourage you to check out this webpage. Alternatively, to hear from some of our other carers, head to the Meet our carers page.