Follow Carlton AFLW Senior Coach Mathew Buck’s Lead: Transform Lives Through Foster Care

• During Foster Care Week, September 8th to 14th, Victoria’s foster care recruitment service, Fostering Connections, urges Victorians to support children needing out-of-home care by becoming foster carers.
• Carlton Football Club’s AFLW senior coach Mathew Buck and his wife Rachael have cared for over 100 children, demonstrating the rewarding impact of fostering.
• Victorians can choose from various care types, like respite and emergency care, allowing them to make a meaningful impact while balancing other responsibilities.

Imagine a world where every child in need has a loving home and a chance to thrive. This Foster Care Week, from 8 to 14 September, Victorians are invited to make this vision a reality by stepping up to become foster carers. With consistent numbers of children needing out-of-home care services each year, the demand for compassionate and dedicated foster carers is constant.

According to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Victoria (DFFH), approximately 9,000 children and young people across the state are in out-of-home care on any given night, with around 1,500 in foster care placements. But just because there are a thousand foster carers does not mean there are enough homes for a thousand kids. Different children have different needs – some may have a disability, others may thrive in a home with a pet or need to be the only child, while some may do better with older kids. This range of needs means we need more diverse foster families who can provide the right environment for each child.

Fostering Connections, Victoria’s state-wide foster care recruitment service run through The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, is calling on community members to make a lasting difference in a child’s life while providing a stable and enabling environment. Foster carers are the backbone of our communities, providing unwavering support and love to vulnerable young people.

“Becoming a foster carer is not just about meeting a need; it’s about creating a life-changing experience for both the child and the carer,” said The Centre CEO Deb Tsorbaris.

“Foster carers play a vital role in providing love, support, and guidance to children who may have faced significant challenges. But it’s important to understand that making a difference doesn’t require being a superhero. The impact can be profound through simple, everyday actions – like teaching a child to tie their shoelaces or taking them to the zoo for the first time.”

With the support and training provided by Fostering Connections and its foster care agency partners, carers are equipped to make a profound impact on the lives of these young people. It’s about being there consistently and seeing the child’s confidence grow, knowing you’re a crucial part of their journey.

The involvement of community figures like Mathew Buck, senior coach of the Carlton Football Club AFLW shows the positive impact foster carers can have. Mathew and his wife Rachael have provided respite and emergency care to over 100 children through MacKillop Family Services over the last eight years, demonstrating the incredible rewards of fostering.

“The most rewarding parts of being a foster carer are often the small, everyday moments that we might take for granted,” Mathew shared.

“We had a young girl who came to us for a respite placement who had just started playing footy. We took her along to the Carlton AFLW training sessions a few times, and to see the spark in her eye just by doing something that is very normal in our lives was one of the most exciting things.

“It’s these little things, like a child who has never had a birthday cake before or visited the zoo, that make fostering so rewarding. Our own boys have been around foster kids their whole lives, and it has been really beneficial for them. We think it’s been such a positive impact on our boys and our family as a whole.”

Attraction and Retention of Foster Carers

In the past, foster care has typically focused on long-term and permanent placements, where families committed to caring for children until they could return to their birth families or find a permanent home. However, carer agencies are now seeing a growing trend towards shorter-term commitments. Many carers choose to provide respite or emergency care, offering temporary support to children and their families during times of crisis.

This shift reflects changing family dynamics, such as the rise of dual-income households, which can make it challenging for carers to commit to long-term placements. Respite care offers flexibility, allowing carers to make a meaningful impact while balancing other responsibilities.

Foster carers Rachael and Mathew have opened their home to create a haven for children who cannot live safely with their families. With a background in education and teaching, they have seen firsthand the disadvantages and traumas children face and decided to extend their support both at school and at home.

“Foster care has brought a lot of conversation into our household and taught our own children empathy, gratitude, and sharing,” Mathew explains. “We feel really proud we can do this as a family.”

For the Bucks, respite and emergency care fit well with their family dynamic, allowing them to step in and provide the necessary support in what can be a stressful situation. “You’ve got to make it work for you, and respite care is a flexible option that works for our family and living arrangement,” Mathew said.

“We find that most kids that come into our care are really grateful for what you have to offer. Whether it’s just feeling safe, or the food you eat, they’re really happy to be there.”

How to Become a Foster Carer

Victorians from all walks of life can become foster carers. Whether you are single, partnered, in a share house, working full-time, or not working at all, if you have a spare bedroom and a willingness to make a difference, you can be a carer. The accreditation process, which includes training and support, takes about six months, after which you can choose the type of care you’d like to provide, including emergency care, respite placements that support other foster carers or kinship carers, or short and long-term placements.

“Every child deserves a chance to thrive. Opening your home to a child offers a lifeline to a child or young person in need. Your love and support can transform their life forever and create a ripple effect of positive change that strengthens the community,” said Deb.

For more information about fostering a child or to contact your local foster care agency, visit fosteringconnections.com.au or call 1800 013 088.

-ENDS-

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kate Crosbie | kate@nichegroup.com.au | 0437 087 807
Nitin Bhasin | nitin@nichegroup.com.au | 0406 990 023
Louise Johnson | louise.johnson@cfecfw.asn.au | 0400 241 179