Foster Care Information

What is Foster Care?

Happy Girl Foster Care is the temporary care of a child or young person up to 18 years of age, within a home based setting, by an accredited and trained foster carer. Children or young people can be in foster care for a few nights, weeks or years, depending on the circumstances. Children may be any age, culture or religious background, may have special needs or may need to be placed with their siblings.

Therapeutic Foster Care (also known as the Circle program) is an intensive form of foster care provided in partnership with a therapeutic service. These programs are offered across the state, and provide a therapeutic care environment for children in care. Advanced training and skills are required to provide therapeutic foster care.

Adolescent Community Placements (ACPs) provide accommodation and support specifically young people aged 12 to 18 years who are experiencing crisis or are unable to live with their families due to abuse and neglect. This program helps young people to access a temporary but safe and secure home with a volunteer carer in their local area. ACP carers undergo the same assessment and training process as foster carers.

Becoming a Carer

Foster carers come from all walks of life, they can be singles, married or de facto couples, or same sex couples. A wide range of foster carers are needed with different skills, strengths and locations to match children’s needs.

Foster carers are provided with extensive training and assessment prior to being approved. They are required to undergo a police check and also a Working With Children Check. Foster carers may provide long term care, short term care or periodic respite care.

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, please view Foster Care Provider Contacts below to find a Foster Care provider in you local area. You may also visit the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare's Foster a Brighter Future website.

Further information, advice, support and advocacy for foster carers is available from the Foster Care Association Victoria.