Family Works provides foster care for children and young people (0-17 years) for a planned period of time when parents/caregivers or extended family members are not able to look after them.
Children and young people may need to be cared for away from their home for many reasons, but in all cases there are issues relating to their care and protection, such as family stress, family crisis, family illness, parenting issues, violence, lack of family supports and resources.
Foster care can be provided in various ways: in emergencies, for regular respite, for a short period of time or for a longer period of time.
Family Works has a contract with Oranga Tamariki (OT) to provide care for children and young people who are with OT. OT remain involved with these children, young people and their families.
Family Works also provides community foster care for children and young people in Southland. In these cases, foster care is always part of a plan to assist families to resolve their difficulties.
Are you interested in becoming a foster parent?
- foster parents are everyday members of the community with a strong commitment to helping others, especially children and young people
- patience, understanding and a willingness to accept someone else's child into the family are essential qualities for fostering
- fostering is challenging and demanding so it is important that foster parents are not experiencing significant personal or family problems
- our service needs a variety of foster parents where there are a range of personal qualities and living situations to suit the varying needs of children and young people in care
- foster parents may be male, female, single, de facto/married, with or without children.
- we need people who relate well to children and who have the commitment and ability to meet children's needs
What support is there for the foster family?
When children are placed in foster care, Family Works:
- provides ongoing support by trained staff
- provides ongoing training opportunities for foster parents
- provides a link to the Southland Foster Care Association
- ensures that the child's reasonable expenses are met while in your care
- advocacy, advice and information about fostering, regular newsletter