Latest News

Foster Care Week is an annual event which celebrates and raises awareness about foster care in the care services sector and within the wider community. The events and celebrations held during foster care week aim to highlight and appreciate our valuable pool of foster carers and the contribution they make to the lives of vulnerable children and young people in our community.Read more...

Foster carers, kinship carers, grandparents, permanent carers and adoptive parents have unique insight into how the NDIS is supporting children with disability.Read more...

Meet Jodie WardRead more...

This year Foster and Kinship Carers Association Tasmania is hosting the National Foster and Kinship Care Conference at the Wrest point Casino in Hobart, Tasmania, 21 – 23 September 2023.Read more...

Enough is enough Read more...

The Yoorrook Justice Commission (the Commission) has been established by the Victorian Government and is the first formal truth telling process into ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations peoples of Victoria.The Commission recently concluded hearings into First Nations peoples' experience of the Child Protection system. Key people from the Department of Families Fairness and Housing who have been heard included:Read more...

The FCAV undertakes advocacy at a federal level in relation to Commonwealth family payments access. The FCAV is presently in discussions with the federal Department of Social Services about the challenges that carers face in accessing family support payments. We are advocating for better information and a streamlined application process in the short term, as well as more targeted funding in the longer term. Read more...

It's National Volunteer WeekRead more...

The latest FCAV Carer Snapshot, collected for March of 2023 reflects a 26% drop in people going through the accreditation process to become foster carers, which led to 50 fewer new carers entering the sector this year compared to last. Compounded by the record number of exiting carer households, this has resulted in almost 100 fewer households available for a placement referral.Read more...

As a peak body focussed on giving voice to human rights and the protections of those who are impacted by decision making at the highest levels, the FCAV encourages all Victorians to vote Yes.Read more...

Dear Foster Carers,Read more...

The Learning and Development arm of the Carer Support Team at FCAV develops and runs training for foster, kinship, and permanent carers. Training offered includes carer wellbeing retreats with the team having completed training on Mindfulness Self-Compassion with the view to assist carers to avoid compassion fatigue or burn out, highlighting the importance of self -care, and techniques to practise daily to ensure this happens. With a background in Art therapy, we also offer online Art Therapy groups which have provided carers with another avenue of time out and self-care. In addition, the team offers Q&A sessions which explore issues such as access with family, navigating NDIS, CIMS and getting the most from your care team and will often bring in carers with much experience and subject experts for specific topics. We also offer induction training for new carers and produce webinars and podcasts which become available as standing resources for all carers, on our website. We are about to deliver a webinar on cultural and linguistic diversity to give carers an understanding of the different cultural needs of children who come into care, and ensure they are equipped to support them to remain connected and secure in their identity.Read more...