CareSouth foster carers have hearts of gold

CareSouth foster carers have hearts of gold

Foster Care Week might be over for another year, but we wanted to give a big-hearted shout out to the amazing carers who open their hearts and homes to help families in many different ways.

This year’s theme for foster care week was Heart of Gold, and the more than 400 carers who work alongside CareSouth truly do have hearts of gold. Regardless of the type of caring role our foster carers take on – emergency care, respite care, family preservation and restoration, long-term foster care, kinship care, guardianship or adoption – they do it to make a difference.

CareSouth founder Jim McEwan, himself a foster carer, believes “every kid deserves a terrific life”. Our foster carers make it happen by creating a safe, calm, loving environment where children and young people can make memories and build skills for life. Whether it’s teaching a child to ride a bike, taking them bushwalking, camping or fishing, or coaching a sport they love, as Jim did, and giving them a chance to join a team environment, CareSouth’s foster carers make kids’ lives terrific.

Foster care teams across CareSouth’s footprint showed their heartfelt gratitude to foster carers by hosting a range of community activities to bring carers, young people and staff together throughout Foster Care Week and beyond. It was our way of celebrating and acknowledging the invaluable role foster carers play in our community.

In the Illawarra, staff hosted a lunch and art therapy session at our Berkeley office, along with an upcoming interagency fun day at Integral Energy Park. Our Shoalhaven, Goulburn and Batemans Bay carers also enjoyed a relaxed lunch with other foster carers, while the Wagga and Griffith teams opted for a PCYC Fun Day and Skate with Mates community event.

Throughout Foster Care Week, 16 cafes across NSW supported CareSouth, serving their coffee in CareSouth-branded, eco-friendly cups to raise awareness of the incredible difference foster carers make in the lives of young people. From the moment foster carers open their hearts and homes to a child or young person, they are giving them a terrific life. And for this, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

For almost 30 years, Jim’s vision to give kids’ a terrific life has been the driving force behind the work we do every day. But it is our foster carers who make it a reality. Their commitment, love, respect and connection to children, young people, their families, community and culture is unwavering.

All you need to be a foster carer is a big heart and a desire to make a difference. If this sounds like you, call CareSouth on 1300 554 260 or visit www.caresouth.org.au.