Supporting siblings to maintain connection in care

My only regret is that I didn't become a foster carer sooner

The only regret about foster caring that Felicity, 47, has is that she didn’t begin sooner.

“Foster care kind of found me when I was a midwifery student doing a placement on a paediatric ward and I saw two babies during that week who needed to go into foster care,” Felicity says.

“I knew what these children needed was a loving home and that I could give them that.

“The training and assessment took just under a year and I’ve loved every moment of it since.”

She is a carer with Lutheran Community Care, and has 17 years fostering experience, mainly helping with long-term care, but also offering her home to help with a mix of respite, emergency and short-term placements.

She has four adult children, has fostered siblings who now remain in her Long Term Guardianship care and is also caring for an additional three children.

“Providing care for siblings has always been a passion of mine mainly due to how close I was to my own sister growing up,” Felicity says.

“Spending nights giggling way beyond bed time, talking about boys and music, that connection is important for siblings.

“Lutheran Community Care has supported me to have siblings as it’s so important for children to have that connection.”

Felicity has shared her story as part of a #FosterCareSA social media campaign to bring greater awareness to the need for more foster carers in South Australia.

The rewards are many and varied, she says.

“Parenting teenagers is never easy but they’ve taught me so much along the way as well as given me a lot of grey hair.

“Watching them reach beyond their trauma and grow into confident young people is so rewarding.”

Felicity encourages anyone who has contemplated foster care to learn more about what is involved.

“Go to an information session, talk to carers, even if you have a weekend to offer respite for a child, it’s all needed,” she says.

“I’m hoping my house is a home for many more children.

“My only regret is that I didn’t become a carer sooner.”

To help us raise awareness about foster care, please share these stories on social media with the hashtag #FosterCareSA.

Anyone interested in finding out more about foster care should visit www.fostercare.sa.gov.au or call 1300 2 FOSTER (367 837).