• Lighthouse are seeking Foster Carers to care for some of Victoria’s most vulnerable children and young people.
• There is an urgent need for Foster Carers willing to care for young people aged 10 and over in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne.
  

ABOUT US

Lighthouse’s Foster Care Program cares for children and young people aged 0-18 who are unable to live with their family, with a focus on long term care. The key feature of our program is the centralised Hub home; where children and Foster Carers experience the home as a place they can come together for activities such as therapy, art and drama, for community connection and support, or for overnight respite.

Lighthouse Foundation’s Model of Care (LMC) is a holistic therapeutic approach framed by trauma-informed practice and informed by attachment and psychoanalytic theory. The LMC weaves together and integrates these frames to create a therapeutic environment in which the mental and physical health and well-being, as well as social, emotional, cultural and educational capacities of young people, are developed and enriched.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Lighthouse are seeking volunteer Foster Carers in the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne, with an urgent need for young people aged 10 years and older who have high needs related to their experience of trauma. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual, couple or household looking for a rewarding experience supporting vulnerable children and young people in their community.

Lighthouse Foster Carers are supported through:

• Access to a dedicated Lighthouse Foster Hub situated in Northern Melbourne allowing Foster Carers to connect, reflect and grow.
• Trauma-informed support for young people, Foster Carers and the entire family.
• Regular respite support with Lighthouse’s Therapeutic Carers delivered via monthly overnight stays at the Hub and weekly homework clubs.
• 24-hour support as well as urgent in home-support with Therapeutic Carers.
• Learning and development opportunities tailored to each Foster Carers’ needs.
• Connection to the community.
• Access to clinical social workers and psychologists for individual and family support.
• Carefully considered Community Committee local volunteers.
• Regular social events and outings for the fostering community to connect and build relationships with each other.
• Lifelong membership offered to all young people in your care.
• Fortnightly reimbursement (Care Allowance).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A FOSTER CARER:

• Build a meaningful relationship with a young person through empathy, warmth and nurturing.
• Provide a safe and caring home environment.
• Establish stable, predictable and consistent routines which provide the young person with the opportunity to develop and learn.
• Facilitate the young person’s engagement in extra-curricular activities.
• Facilitate the young person’s connection to family, significant others, friends and peers and community members.
• Assist in the development and implementation of a plan to address the young person’s immediate, short and long term needs.
• Be flexible and available at different times dependent on the needs of the young person.
• Be able to work as part a team with birth family, Lighthouse staff, Child Protection and other services.

To become a Foster Carer, you must:

• Be 21 years old or over
• Have a spare bedroom
• Undergo pre and post accreditation training and a thorough Foster Carer Assessment
• Be open and willing to receive therapeutic support from Lighthouse staff, including in-home and/or overnight support where needed

To make an enquiry, please call Charlotte on 1800 542 273, email [email protected], using the subject line: Volunteer Foster Carers enquiry via EthicalJobs or visit https://lighthousefostercare.org.au for more information.