A child protection system in review - the importance of personal/social support for foster carers

The child protection system in Queensland, Australia is being radically overhauled with a view to ensuring a greater focus on child safety matters. One major factor that will remain constant will be the use of approved foster carers to care for children who need out-of-home care. Foster carers have been called the "the ultimate community volunteers". They have the responsibility to care for children and young people with increasingly complex and challenging behaviours. The main request from foster carers is greater support from the Department of Communities (soon to be the Department of Child Safety). The recommendations of the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission Report of 2004, and the subsequent Blueprint for implementing the recommendations, are driving the child protection reform process. This paper will define social support and its importance to foster carers. The CMC Report and Blueprint will then be discussed and critiqued in relation to what the two documents propose in relation to supporting foster carers. Literature, and comments from carers, will be used to demonstrate the importance of support in recruiting and retaining foster carers. The Mackay/Whitsunday Region of the Department of Communities has been a leader in both research pertaining to foster care and in implementing initiatives that will support carers. The initiatives will be considered in line with literature and the CMC Report and Blueprint