Meet Foster Carers Justine and Chris

Foster Care | Posted August 12, 2026

Introducing OzChild Foster Carers

Justine and Chris

Justine and Chris have been foster carers with OzChild for about 10 years. They’ve done emergency, respite, short-term and long-term care, and have welcomed around 180 children into their home.

Their message for people considering becoming a foster carer: “Do it! And do as much training as you can and to don’t be afraid to call on your peers for support. Don’t try and fix the kids – because they aren’t broken.”

Household

Couple with biological children

Foster Carers For

10 Years

Number of children cared for

180+

Care Types

Emergency, respite, short-term and long-term care

Justine and Chris’ Story

Justine and Chris are foster carers with OzChild’s team, providing foster care in Western Melbourne, Victoria.

Every day on the way to work the couple used to drive past a foster care agency and one day they decided they wanted to give back to the community, so they reached out to begin their foster care journey.

When Justine and Chris think about the OzChild community of carers it is the knowledge shared that they find most valuable in their roles as carers.

“Finding out what has worked for them and what strategies they have used, tips and tricks and knowing you are not alone makes our journey all that much easier”

When asked about the best part of being a carer, the couple agree it is seeing the development and growth in children and knowing their contribution is making a difference.

Chris and Justine shared stories about the transformations they see in children – including one four-year-old, who they say was initially very quiet and shy and didn’t really want to do much and was delayed in her milestones. After a short period, and thanks to the love and care they have provided, Justine spoke of how much she had changed – “She’d be excited to see us, we’d get hugs and details of her day. She was very opinionated, we were able to have a chat and banter with her”.

The couple love nothing more than chilling out together when it is just the two of them, and save the crafts, swimming, board games, walks and time at the park for when they have a child in their care.

Get to know Justine and Chris

Justine and Chris answer some common questions about juggling life as foster carers.

Justine and Chris answer some questions from prospective carers about life as a foster carer.

You Can Ask That

“It was actually a family conversation to start with. We made sure our kids were part of the journey from the onset — had they said no, it wasn’t something they were interested in, I don’t know that we would have continued, because it’s their home and they need to feel comfortable. We probably talked for a good 12 months with them, understanding that their space would be compromised, and that there was going to be someone in the home who’s got really different experiences to theirs. It’s about being compromising and accepting that what their normal is, is different to whoever’s coming into your home. One of the things we felt was that our youngest needed a bit more one-on-one time with me. So I started getting my nails done, and we’d go and do pedicures or manicures so we could sit there and talk — just us. That was our special time. That was protected time.” — Justine and Chris

“Out of the 180-odd kids that we’ve had through our house over our journey, never did we have one with weapons, and never did we have an outburst we couldn’t manage. Violence – no, we’ve never experienced that. No weapons, never, ever, and we’ve had kids from 18 years down to 0.

You do get anger, but that’s out of fear and concern, and it’s not directed at you. It’s more that they have no control, so they’re feeling unsafe – not unsafe because of us or where they are, but because they don’t have the control to say what’s happening in their life tomorrow. When a child comes into your house for the first time, it’s weird and different – they’ve been told not to trust strangers, and all of a sudden they’ve been plonked in your house and you’re a stranger. So my approach is to be ultra calm about everything – honest, upfront and direct – because these are kids who sometimes haven’t always been told the truth.

“There was one kid who’d trashed his room after we said he couldn’t go to a party. Several months after he left our house, I was at the South Melbourne Market. I hadn’t seen him for six months. He was with a group of mates, acting like teenagers – nothing bad. Then he whipped around, ran out and gave me a hug. It’s the same kid that trashed his room. That’s just it.”

One of the things we love about OzChild in particular is the after-hours service. You can call them and say, ‘This is what’s happening, can you help me with some strategies, because my toolkit’s empty,’ and they’ll walk you through it. We picked up the phone to them a dozen, two dozen times.”

“As a foster carer, you know from the onset that your job is to support those kids in their roughest days to make sure they get back to family – whatever that family looks like. That’s our job: to make sure that one singular bond is never broken, so they can always go home. You will never walk away unscathed. You will always have their little footprints on your heart forever.

In some cases you can stay connected with them. Often, especially when we ended a long-term placement, I wrote little notes to mum that just said, ‘This is my routine, my bedtime looks like this, these are the things I find helpful to get me to sleep, and this is my number if you’d like to chat at any time’ – leaving it up to them as a family to make that decision. You wouldn’t be a foster carer if you didn’t ask that question. A little bit of your heart always goes, and they always leave a little bit in return.”

Interested in learning more about becoming a foster carer?

For information about fostering in your state, visit our information pages below.

Become a Foster Carer in Victoria Become a Foster Carer in Queensland Become a Foster Carer in the ACT

Ready to become a
Foster Carer?

There is no “one size fits all” for foster care – it takes all kinds of carers to look after all kinds of kids. If you are ready to start exploring how foster care could be a part of your life – we’d love to chat to you.

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