Carers Marion and Laurence have watched two sisters go from struggling to trust adults or welcome attention, to confiding in their new carers and taking centre stage.

The couple have opened their home to the two primary school-aged girls through the Department for Child Protection’s Care Beyond kin program, which involves kinship carers offering placements to children who are unrelated to them.

After the Murraylands couple’s grandchildren were reunified with their father about 18 months ago, the former kinship carers had two spare rooms and plenty of love left to give.

“We’d put our hand up for other kids who might need care because we had the space and the motivation, and we were well aware of the number of kids in care,” Laurence says.

The Department for Child Protection is sharing the couple’s story in the lead up to Foster and Kinship Carer Week (13-19 September), which celebrates the incredible impact family-based carers have in children’s lives.

Care Beyond Kin  was set up in a bid to increase the number of family-based placements available to support children in need, and prevent them from going into residential care.

Having previously experienced trauma, the sisters were initially hesitant to trust Marion and Laurence, but their relationship has grown in leaps and bounds.

“They’ve grown a lot of love and respect for us and they understand now that they can come to us with any issues that they want to talk about,” Laurence says.

A year into the placement, Marion says the girls’ schooling is going well and their confidence has blossomed through taking up drama, dancing and cooking classes.

Recently, they participated in a stage show and were buoyed by the rush of performing and the support they received from family and friends who proudly watched on.

“They were terrified but oh my goodness, they did a fantastic job, both of them. They never thought they’d be able to do that, ever, but they have enough confidence now,” Marion says.

“They were so overwhelmed, and it was the best night – everyone was coming up and hugging them and telling them how great they are.

“Previously, they didn’t know how to cope with that, but there’s no stopping them now. They’ve just got that knowledge now that people love them and they’re there for them.”

Marion and Laurence still care for their grandchildren during school holidays, and they’ve forged a strong bond with the girls now in the couple’s care, making good use of the family’s seven-seater vehicle.

“It’s nice hearing that giggling and laughing again,” Marion says of caring for the siblings.

“We treat them like the rest of the grandkids and whatever we do with the grandkids, we do with them too.”

The couple recently celebrated a year of looking after the girls by taking them to Melbourne; their holiday filled with fun experiences, from a trip to the Queen Victoria Markets, to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Bubble Planet sensory venue and Artvo ‘trick art’ experience.

During Foster and Kinship Carer Week, the department is hosting about 20 events across the state to recognise the vital role carers play in the child protection and family support sector.

For more information about foster care, visit fostercare.sa.gov.au or call 1300 2 FOSTER (1300 2 367 837).