Raising funds for kids in care through the Bridge to Brisbane
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Anglicare Southern Queensland is shining a light on the importance of foster and kinship carers for a second year at the Bridge to Brisbane on 8 September
Anglicare Southern Queensland is shining a light on the importance of foster and kinship carers for a second year at the Bridge to Brisbane, which will be held on 8 September.
There are currently more than 11,400 young people living in out-of-home care in Queensland and more than 6,000 registered carers across a variety of care types including short- and long-term foster care, respite care, and kinship care.
Anglicare Southern Queensland Group Manager of Out of Home Care North, Tammy Lloyd said the work to care for children and young people is vital, as is the need to provide support for the carers who dedicate their lives to deliver a stable, caring home and family environment.
“Being a foster carer is such a rewarding job! It does come with some challenges, as these children have come from a variety of backgrounds, and does require a lot of patience, understanding and willingness to go the extra mile for these children,” Ms Lloyd said.
“We are constantly looking for ways to do more to support our amazing carers and equip them with the tools they need to confidently care for a child and provide a safe, nurturing and happy home – all while ensuring they feel appreciated and valued for all the hard work they do.”
“It is so important we ensure carers have positive experiences from the beginning and that we continue to support and encourage them to continue the great work they are doing,” Ms Lloyd said.
Whilst not everyone is in a position to become a foster carer, Anglicare is calling on the community to help support foster carers, children and their families by donating to our Bridge to Brisbane campaign.
“All funds raised will help us to provide meaningful assistance to foster carers and children outside of Government funding,” Ms Lloyd said.
“This can include short holiday breaks for carers and children to experience a ‘family holiday’, camps for children and young people as well as conferences, counselling services, additional training or extra support to manage the cost-of-living pressures.”
Remington and his partner Alain began their fostering journey with Anglicare Southern Queensland after moving to Queensland during the pandemic. Since then, they’ve become full-time carers to three young siblings, under the age of 10.
“Alain and I always wanted to have kids. We love babies, but what we love about having older kids in our lives is that they can talk to and communicate with you. If they have a headache, they will let you know.” Remington shared.
“There are a lot of kids in the system, and we thought that fostering would be a nice way to have kids in our lives while helping people at the same time.
“With the three kids that we’re fostering, it was only meant to be a short-term placement, but now it’s turned into a long-term placement. It’s been a year now, and we can really see their development and we’re watching them start to blossom with us. We know we’ve done well.
“Everyone always says the kids are so lucky to have us, but I think the opposite. We’re lucky to have the kids in our lives.”
Anglicare Southern Queensland currently supports close to 1,000 foster and kinship carers and more than 2,000 children in care.
The organisation partners carers with practitioners and cultural support workers to assist them on their care journey as well as connecting them with the wider foster care community, and providing training programs, resources, and 24/7 support lines.
Click here to donate to Anglicare Southern Queensland foster carers.
To learn more about foster care or becoming a carer visit youbeyou.org.au.
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