Ben Dixon’s story is one of heartbreak, resilience and transformative power. Speaking at OzChild’s All Staff Conference in November 2024, Ben shared a deeply personal journey, highlighting the challenges he faced growing up and the immense impact foster care and dedicated caseworkers had on his life.
Ben’s childhood was marked by instability. With parents struggling with addiction, his early years were filled with exposure experiences and trauma no child should face.
At age 10, after many placements punctuated with stints of reuniting with his birth parents, he and his brother found a permanent foster home. While this offered safety, Ben struggled with feelings of belonging, grappling with his relationship with his biological family and his new identity as a “foster kid”. During his stay Ben had formed a strong bond with his foster dad, only to lose him to cancer not long after—a heartbreaking loss that echoed his lifelong fear of getting close to people only to lose them.
While Ben’s story might seem overwhelming, Ben credits his foster mother and case workers with helping him navigate these struggles. A particular case worker, Robyn, has been an ever-present presence in his life. Remarkably, Robyn supported Ben as a child in care and now serves as his case worker in his role as a kinship carer for his late brother’s daughter.
Reflecting on his time in care, Ben shared, “I take my time in care as a blessing. My life wouldn’t be the same without it.” Despite the pain of losing family members to addiction, Ben remains deeply grateful for the foster carers and case workers who supported him.
“You saved me and my brother from years of pain and trauma. And now my niece, too,” Ben said, his voice filled with emotion. He emphasised the importance of consistency, noting how he only came to understand later in life how crucial a loving foster family and individual case workers were as the one constant in his challenging journey.
Thank you to Ben for sharing your story, it is a powerful reminder of the critical role of foster families, and how the work we do today can build brighter futures for children and young people.
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