Your care can be life-changing

You can transform the life of a child who desperately needs someone on their team. Become a carer in our specialised foster care program and help a child or young person in need to finally return home.

40+ years

of positive outcomes
6-12 months

of support for the child
7-11 years

Ages of children in the program
100+

Graduations

Residential care is the last place a child should live

Kids do best in family, or family-like, environments. But sometimes it’s not safe for a child to stay with their birth parents. And some kids have complex needs that make it difficult to stay with general foster carers.

These are the children who end up in residential care.

Children in residential care are likely to have trauma from past neglect or abuse. That trauma compounds when they’re placed in a group with other traumatised children who have complex behaviours.

As a group, these children and young people are supervised by youth workers on a rotating roster. It’s lonely and they are at risk.

Treatment Foster Care Oregon program

Given the right support, every child can thrive

Treatment Foster Care Oregon (TFCO) is a specialised foster care program designed to help children and young people who are either in, or at risk of entering, the residential care system.

The goal? To support a child for approximately 9 months to either reunite them with their family or be placed in a safe, nurturing long-term care environment, you will be given a carer allowance of up to $75,000 per annum, pro rata.TFCO has proven to be highly effective, due to its holistic approach:

Support the Child

The TFCO program focuses on consistent positive reinforcement and praise.
They have a daily structure with clear expectations and fair consequences.
They receive intensive support by a team of 7 professionals.
They’re encouraged to attend school and develop positive relationships with peers and adults.

Support the Carer

As a TFCO carer, you’re given comprehensive initial training as well as ongoing training, coaching and development that is tailored to your family.
You get daily morning calls with the TFCO team to monitor the child’s progress and your wellbeing.
There are weekly TFCO carer meetings with fellow carers and the program supervisor.
24/7 on-call support is always accessible.
You can access monthly respite care.

Support the Family

Families or long-term carers in the TFCO program are provided with therapy and parent training.
Families learn to provide consistent discipline, supervise and provide encouragement and use a modified version of the behaviour management system.
This equips them with the tools to build positive relationships, properly support and care for the child when they return home.
Families get additional support after their child returns home to help them settle in and develop a healthy family dynamic.

Could you be part of a team that transforms a young life? Get in touch and we’ll email you more information about the program.

9 months can be all it takes to turn a life around

Meet the Young People

I want to have a strong connection to my culture and beliefs. I have a busy timetable with loads interests, so the ideal carer would be someone I could share that with.

Learn More About Ashley

I love to swim and box to keep myself focused and engaged. Outside of school, I hang out with my friends a lot. I love when I can connect with my carers about things we both like.

Learn More About Jenny

I spend the weekend with my friends, playing soccer. I would thrive with a carer who wants to play with me, engage in the things I like and show me I am trusted.

Learn More About Liam

Meet The Young People

The TFCO Program has been proven to…

Prevent or reduce the number of days in residential settings
Improve general mental and physical health and wellbeing
Increase positive academic engagement
Improve brain stress regulatory systems
Increase positive attachment

Enquire today

Everything you need to do incredibly rewarding work

Being a TFCO carer is a rewarding but time consuming role. Which is why you’ll be provided with a generous tax-free allowance while yournare caring for a child or young person in the program. Ideally you are not working part-time or full-time. It is usually OK if you are working casually or studying if it is highly flexible. As a TFCO carer you’ll also be assisted by a highly specialised treatment team. You’ll be an important part of the support team including a family therapist, an individual therapist, a teacher, program supervisor and a skills coach. Daily calls and weekly team meetings mean you’ll always have an up-to-the-minute, individualised treatment plan for the child or young person in your care.

$75,000

Tax-free allowance, per annum (pro rata)

24/7 support

from a team of highly qualified specialists

Single, Renting, Identify As LGBTQIA+

Are you eligible to become a TFCO carer?

If you have love to give, you can give a child a better future. TFCO carers come from a diverse range of cultures, religions, sexual orientations, families and marital status.

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

You can become a TFCO carer if you:

Are over 21
Can provide a clean and safe living space
Have a spare bedroom
Are an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident
Have a car for school picks up and drop offs
Have the time to commit to caring for a child or young person
Are open to being trained to care for a child with complex behaviours. Previous experience in a similar role is a bonus!
Live in a TFCO service area:

Queensland

Sound like it could work for you? Get in touch via our enquiry form and we’ll send you some info to read.

OzChild TFCO Process

What are the steps in becoming a TFCO carer

The accreditation process is an important part of safeguarding the wellbeing and happiness of vulnerable children. For that reason, the process is thorough.But you won’t have to navigate it all on your own. We will guide you through every step of the journey.

Enquire today

We would love to have you at one of our virtual Q&A sessions. During this virtual session you will hear stories from an OzChild foster carer. The carer will share the rewarding experiences and some of the challenges you might come across. You can of course ask any questions you might have about the kids, the program or the process. These Q&A sessions are held online with up to 5 other households and you can join from the comfort of your own home.

We will visit you at your home and tell you more about the program, the kids and the process to become an accredited carer. You will be able to ask any questions you might have.

All specialised foster carers complete 16 hours of compulsory online foster care training at no cost to you. Plus, two additional days of specialised training that is completed face-to-face in an informal group environment. The training will prepare you for the day-to-day responsibilities and challenges and provide you with parenting techniques. The training is mandatory for everyone in the house with a caring role.

The assessments are designed to work out with you if fostering is a suitable option for you at this time. Part of the assessments are paperwork, which includes an application form, Blue card/Working with children application (depending on where you live), a police check and a health and wellbeing questionnaire. During this stage you will also be invited to attend the two full days of specialised TFCO training.

Once you have completed all the paperwork and assessment, your application will be presented to a carer panel responsible for the accreditation and approval of new carers based on meeting the required competencies. Once you are officially an OzChild carer, we will start looking for a possible match for you!

Could you be part of a team that transforms a young life?