By Jena Carr
Geelong foster carers are calling for more people across the region to raise their hands and help out a child in need during Foster Care Week.
The initiative takes place across the state from September 8 to 14 to raise awareness for foster care and encourage more people to become foster carers.
Rachael Buck is the principal of a Geelong school and has been a foster carer alongside her husband and Carlton AFLW coach Matt Buck for close to 10 years.
“Before Matt was the coach of Carlton AFLW, we taught in the same school and just saw the need in the community,” Ms Buck said.
“Since then, we’ve had three boys of our own but continued to foster care in that time and have had more than 150 kids during that time.
“It’s been great for our boys, and they don’t know any different. Kids come and go all the time, but it’s really taught them gratitude and empathy.
“We try and do the things that we normally do, like go to footy on the weekends, see friends and do all those kinds of things that we would normally do even with extra kids.”
MacKillop Family Services chief executive Robyn Miller said that the week was also about providing support for existing carers, along with putting the call out for more carers.
“We know that the best place for children is in loving family homes, it’s getting increasingly difficult to provide those homes,” she said.
“Foster carers come from all different walks of life and can be single or married, in same-sex relationships, working or retired.
“We’re calling for ordinary people to consider if foster care could be part of their life as they may be able to help provide that stability and support.
There is a critical shortage of carers, and we commit as an organisation to keeping the issue front and foremost while trying to reach good people who could become fantastic foster carers.”
Visit mackillop.org.au/theirstory or call 1300 791 677 to learn more about foster care.
