About
Taking action to preserve the foster care system in Australia
The National Foster Care Sustainability Group was established by Families Australia to collectively advocate for the strategic federal levers necessary to unlock substantial gains for the state and territory foster care systems.
Families Australia is a national peak, not-for-profit organisation that strives to improve the wellbeing of Australian families.
The Group’s mission is to provide more equitable support for children in foster care and foster carers through small but impactful changes to health, finance and workplace policies.
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing home. However, for many Australian children, this is not their reality.
There are over 45,000 children across Australia who need care each year. As the demand for care grows, the number of active and new foster carers is rapidly declining. This leaves vulnerable children without the support, stability and care that is critical for their ongoing recovery and development.
These trends not only incur significant financial burdens for governments but, most importantly, result in poor outcomes for children and young people, and their families and communities.
Caring for Australian children is everyone’s responsibility. Australia must take action to provide better access to healthcare, ease the financial burden on foster carers, and provide fair workplace entitlements. Together, we can ensure every child in foster care is given a fair go.
Our members include (listed alphabetically):
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Anglicare Victoria
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Australian Foster Care Association
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The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
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Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA
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Families Australia
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First Nations NGO Alliance representation
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Foster Carer representation
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Key Assets Australia
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Life Without Barriers
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MacKillop Family Services
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OzChild
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PeakCare