Better Health Channel
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
  • As a foster carer, you are providing a safe and supportive home for a child or young person who can’t live with their parents or kin.
  • You may face challenges that affect you physically, emotionally and financially – as well as particular stressors that other parents don’t have to confront.
  • You will be an important part of the child or young person’s care team and hold responsibilities as part of that team, as well as having more scrutiny, support, limitations, and monitoring of your role than biological parents' experience.
  • Dealing with a child’s complex behaviours and needs, maintaining contact with the child’s biological parents, helping a child with trauma, and managing financial costs are some of the key challenges foster carers face.
  • Therapeutic parenting is an effective approach you can take to parent a traumatised child.
  • You need to be able to make time to attend care team meetings, student support meetings and therapeutic appointments, etc.
  • Support services are available to help you.

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Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.

Reviewed on: 23-06-2023