Foster Care
Which Type of Care is Right for You?
Foster Care or Specialised Foster Care: Which Type is Right for You?
Children in foster care need carers with all kinds of strengths, homes and life experiences. Opening your home and your heart, even briefly, can have a powerful and lasting impact.
Use the Quick Links to find information based on your location.
Or, learn more about the difference between Foster Care and Specialised Foster Care below.
Considering what type of foster care is best suited to you and your household
Caring, patience, and a space of their own can mean everything to a child or young person in need of support. Thinking about opening your home as a foster carer is a big step, and you might be considering which type of care best fits your lifestyle and what you can offer.
At OzChild, there are two main ways you can help: Foster Care and Specialised Foster Care. Each has its own rewards and makes a unique difference for children and young people.
What is the difference between the types of care OzChild offers?
Foster Care
Foster care provides a safe and loving home for children aged between 0-18 years who cannot currently live with their birth families.
- Duration: Highly flexible.
- Time Commitment: You can easily work full-time while being a foster carer. OzChild provides practical support like funded babysitting and transport assistance to help balance your schedule.
- Support & Allowance: You receive a tax-free fortnightly allowance to help cover day-to-day costs, plus 24/7 on-call support and ongoing training.
- Who can be a foster carer: Individuals, couples, or families who want to provide stability for a child while maintaining their regular work and life routines.
Specialised Foster Care
Specialised Foster Care is an intensive, short-term program for children and young people (often aged 7–17) who need some extra support to meet their unique needs. This type of care offers a stable, nurturing home where carers can focus on helping each child build their strengths, develop new skills, and reach their goals. The aim is to provide the additional care and attention each child needs so they are ready to return to family or transition to long-term care.
- Duration: Placements typically last for around 9 months.
- Time Commitment: Because of the intensive therapeutic nature of the program, the primary carer should ideally not be working (though some flexible casual work or study may be considered).
- Support & Allowance: Carers receive a generous tax-free allowance of up to $80,000 per annum (pro-rata) to allow them to dedicate their time to the child. You become part of a highly specialised treatment team, receiving daily morning calls, weekly meetings, 24/7 support, and monthly respite care.
- Who can be a specialised carer: Those who have the time to dedicate fully to a child’s therapeutic needs for a 9-month period and are eager to work closely with a team of clinical professionals to turn a young life around.
Finding your carer pathway
What type of care best suits you?
If you work full-time or part-time and are looking for a flexible way to help a child in need, whether for a weekend, a few months, or years, Foster Care is likely the best path for you.
If you are not currently working or looking for another career opportunity and you want to make a life-changing impact on a child with additional needs over a 9-month period, you may find your purpose as a Specialised Foster Carer.
Keen to know more?
To see if you are located in one of OzChild’s service regions, and to find out more about allowances specific to your state, click on one of the options below.
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