You can make a big difference

in a little person’s life

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Feel like you could offer a safe, loving space to a child in need? Become a foster carer with OzChild and be supported to create a brighter future for a vulnerable child or young person.

Enquire today

“The most rewarding part of being a foster carer is without a doubt the small moments. That moment when a child starts to open up, starts to trust you and feels comfortable. That’s when you know they feel safe.”

Chrissy Carer

Working Full-Time, Single, Renting, Living With a Disability

Are you eligible to become a carer in Queensland?

Everybody is capable of caring. Foster carers come from a diverse range of cultures, religions, sexual orientations, families and marital status. And yes, single people make great foster carers too!

What’s most important is your capacity to help a child thrive.

You can become a foster carer with OzChild if you:

Are over 18
Live in our service area
Can provide a clean and safe living space
Have a spare bedroom
Have the time to care for a child in need (working full-time is fine)
Are willing to nurture someone else’s child who’s going through a difficult time

Sound like it could work for you?

Types of foster care

How long you care for a child is up to you

Short-term care: 1 night – 2 years

When you offer short-term care, you give a child a secure, stable home as they go through the scary experience of being removed from their family.

Short-term care can vary from just one night to up to two years. In most cases children require a safe place to live for a few weeks or months but some children also need somewhere to stay overnight, on weekends or during the school holidays.

Ultimately, you have the flexibility to choose your preferred placement duration.

Long-term care: 2+ years

As a long-term foster carer, you can give stability and permanency to children or young people who can no longer live in their family home.

Every month, Child Protection asks us to find a safe, loving, long-term home for around 10 children. In these cases, the courts have decided it’s not safe for the child to return home. This could be for 6 months or more. It could be until they reach adulthood.

When you offer long-term care, you give a child the security and care that every child needs and craves, so they can finally unpack their bag and just be a kid.

Here’s what other foster carers have to say about
caring through OzChild

We went into our foster carer journey thinking we would only take young kids, now I realise we have so much to offer teenagers and feel like young people are those I can assist the most.

Mel and BarryCouple, with two kids, aged 9 and 11

If you are thinking about being a foster carer, we say, do it! Don’t be afraid to call on your peers for support, knowing we are not alone makes our journey all that much easier.rn

David and MichaelCouple, with no kids

I had always wanted to be a foster carer but was not sure I could as a single person, I always thought I had to be a part of a couple.

MadelineSingle, with no kids

OzChild Carer Support Strategy

Better support for you, better care for children in need

To do your best work as a foster carer, you need support. That’s why every member of your household will be supported by the OzChild team. Not only that, you’ll also become part of a community of foster carers that is rich with knowledge, friendship and support for each other. So you’ll always have someone to call while you’re caring for a child or young person who desperately needs someone on their team. Your support network includes:

The OzChild Team

Respect, communication, support and relationships are at the core of our partnership promise to you. Your long-term wellbeing and happiness is one of our top priorities.
You’ll be supported with regular check-ins from your dedicated Carer Support Worker, monthly visits from your case manager, after-hours support, resources, training, and much more. So you have the foundation you need to make the biggest difference.

Before and After School Care

This will allow you to foster whilst you work Full-time or Part-time.
Offers flexibility.
It enables the foster child to interact with other children and positive role models whilst experiencing new things and having fun.

Village of Foster Carers

We have a community of foster carers who can help with advice and support, and who can provide you with items like clothes, car seats, toys or books, and most importantly, a unique friendship.
You’ll have the opportunity to join group meet ups and community events to let your hair down and get to know fellow foster carers.

Glenda and Paul Couple, with kids

“The joy we have experienced since becoming foster carers is incredible! And our own children (now adults) wouldn’t be the beautiful people they are today if we hadn’t decided all those years ago to foster.”

OzChild’s Foster Care Process

What are the steps in becoming a foster carer

The accreditation process is an important part of safeguarding the wellbeing and happiness of vulnerable children. For that reason, the process is thorough and takes approximately 4-7 months. But don’t worry – you will be supported at every stage along the way!
Enquire today

After you make an enquiry, our team will refer you to a Foster Care Recruitment Service who will support you through the accreditation process. This centralised service ensures that all foster carers in Queensland undergo a consistent recruitment and approval process, before starting with their nominated foster care agency.

You will be invited to attend an information session to learn more about what’s involved in becoming a foster carer, and the approval process.

You will have to complete an Application form, Health Check, Police Check, a Blue Card and referee checks. All adults in your household will need to complete a Police Check and a Blue Card application.

All foster carers complete the “Getting Ready To Start” foster care training, provided at no cost to you. Your training will prepare you for the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges, all aspects of a placement, welcoming a child into your home, through to common daily experiences, and what it’s like to say goodbye. The training is mandatory for everyone in the house who will play a caring role.

A qualified assessor will walk you through your assessment interviews. During the assessments we will talk to all members of your household and we will perform a home and environment check to make sure you can provide a safe place to stay for a child or young person.

Your assessor will prepare a report based on your paperwork, training and assessment, which will be reviewed by the Department of Child Safety. Once your accreditation is approved, you’ll be ready to join the OzChild village of carers!

From here, you will work with the OzChild team to ensure you have everything you need to be ready for your first experience as a foster carer! We’ll start looking for a possible match and we will call you and ask if you’d like to accept the child or young person into your home. This stage could take some time, depending on how many kids come into foster care and your preferences around caring.

Keen to get started?

Lui Single, with no kids

“Every minute with the kids is rewarding. We love sharing new experiences with the children and our extended family welcome them with open arms.”

Frequently Asked Questions

You might be wondering…

Yes. You can work full-time and foster. Many carers fit fostering in around their work, whether through long-term placements or shorter-term options. Offering respite to primary carers is also available if you’d prefer to provide care on weekends or for short stays. We tailor our support to ensure your foster care household and the child or young person in your care thrives.

Yes. If you are a single person and have the energy and patience and care about children, you can become a foster carer.

Yes. OzChild welcomes carers from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and same sex relationships.

Children in foster care need privacy and a place to store their belongings, which means you need to have one spare bedroom in order to become a carer.

From the point of enquiry to accreditation as a foster carer, the process can take anywhere between 4 – 7 months.

We care for children and young people between the ages of 0-18. We will help you consider the age and needs of the child you feel best match your family, interests, lifestyle and skills to help make the best possible match.

Yes. Whilst it may be one member of the household driving the application, it is a requirement that both partners complete training and assessment. Children in the home are also included in parts of the assessment. It is also encouraged that other household members especially those over the age of 18 attend training.

Foster care is not paid employment. Foster carers receive a tax-free fortnightly carer contribution based on the age of the child to help feed, clothe, educate and meet the needs of the foster child in their care.

We care a lot about our foster carers.

On a daily basis, you will be supported by a team of professionals!

Your Case Manager is there for you for both practical support with the child in your care but also for emotional support. Having a Carer Support Worker is unique to OzChild. They will be checking in with you on a regular basis and are your go to OzChild person during office hours.

There is also a 24/7 on-call service who are there to provide you with whatever support you need on the weekends, on public holidays and in the middle of the night. We’ve got your covered all hours of the day. And then there are lots of other professionals available to make sure the child/young person in your care receive the support they need from teachers, to speech pathologists and from psychologists to behavioural therapists.
At OzChild, not only have we had a Carer Strategy since 2020, we also have an ongoing commitment to work in partnership with you and all other OzChild carers to ensure you receive the best possible support.

The aim of foster care is to provide temporary care to a child with the aim of the child returning to their birth family. If the Children’s Court decide the child will not be returning to their family, discussions will occur on a case by case basis as to whether the child moves into a longer-term foster care placement or permanent care.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, give our recruitment team a call on 1800 954 550 or email fostercareqld@ozchild.org.au, we’d love to help!

OzChild is one of the longest-serving Not for Profit organisations for children, young people and families in Australia. OzChild has been around for 170 years, and we are focused on providing support for children and young people in foster and kinship care with a focus on keeping families together where possible. Over the years, we have transformed into a modern organisation with many evidence-based programs and services.