This National Families Week, the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) recognises the resilience and capacity of Victorian families in creating strong, safe and connected communities.
This year’s theme is ‘Living Real, Dreaming Big’ and, as Victoria’s peak body for child and family services, the Centre is proud to support families of all shapes and sizes across the state.
Representing more than 100 member organisations that work with families, the Centre is encouraging Victorians to become part of the village that cares for children and young people who can’t live safely at home.
The Centre administers Fostering Connections, a foster care recruitment service that is a joint initiative between foster care agencies across Victoria and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
Centre CEO Deb Tsorbaris extends her thanks and admiration to Victorian foster carers this National Families Week, emphasizing that carers form an important part of many strong and positive family units and communities across the state.
“People from all backgrounds and walks of life are encouraged to apply to become foster carers – after all, all kinds of kids need all kinds of carers.
“Many different people make up a child’s village – birth parents, extended family, teachers and other professionals, friends’ parents, and in some cases, carers!” Ms Tsorbaris said.
There are many inspiring Victorians who are embracing the various forms of family, with Minna and Zubin, Jonathan and Fanny and Gulhan and Yuksel all proud to call themselves foster carers.
Foster carers are provided with training and resources to become accredited and are supported by their foster care agency every step of the way.
For more information about fostering a child or to get in touch with your local foster care agency, visit fosteringconnections.com.au or call 1800 013 088.
