Christmas is a time of giving.
It’s a time when many people put their hand up to care for children or young people who deserve a safe, secure and supportive home.
Foster carers offer support for children in need for various reasons, including families being unable to keep them safe for short or long periods of time.
Samaritans provides foster care in Newcastle, the Central Coast and Mudgee through its Permanency Support Program (PSP).
Case Manager Carer Team Lesley Cochrane says Samaritans goes “above and beyond”.
“I am a foster carer myself and I’ve seen many, many children and young people come through Out of Home Care and PSP,” she says.
“I’ve met young adults who are no longer in PSP, and 99% of them have turned out to be happy, well-educated people who are living their best life.
“Carers often choose to come to Samaritans through word of mouth and our positive reputation in the community.
“We offer a lot of support for carers, and host picnics, morning teas and other events to introduce them to our teams and each other.
“We also generally do a little carer package each Christmas to thank them.”
Carers come from all walks of life. They can be single, in a relationship, working, studying, or retired.
Samaritans offers all carers financial assistance, ongoing training and 24/7 support through its team and an on-call service.
Lesley says there is a desperate need for more foster carers in the community.
“My husband and I always thought about caring. We found the house was empty and wanted to give back,” she says.
“A lot of children come with a lot of trauma. They really need someone who is compassionate, caring, and educated in trauma itself. We offer lots of training, of course.
“Being a foster carer is such a rewarding thing to do.”