Becoming a foster carer

Check if you can be a foster carer, the types of care you can give and how to apply.

When you become a foster carer, you’ll give a safe and caring home to a child who cannot live with their own family. Check if you can be a foster carer, the types of care you can give and how to apply.

Who can foster

To become a foster carer, you must be at least:

21 years old for short-term care
25 years old for permanent care.

Your house must:

be safe
have a bedroom for the child or young person.

You'll be assessed to make sure you can care for a child. This includes:

an interview to check if you’re ready to foster
a police check
a child protection history check
a working with vulnerable people registration check
a medical check.

You'll also need to attend training.

Types of foster care

There are many types of foster care. You can choose what type of care you are able to give.

How long a child stays with you depends on:

their situation
their birth parents’ ability to care for them
court orders.

It can be for a short time or a longer time.

Emergency or crisis care

You care for a child when they need care immediately. This is usually for a few weeks until plans are made for other care. You’ll usually get less than 24-hours of notice.

Short-term care (up to 2 years)

You care for a child while their birth family is getting the help they need for their child to return home.

Respite care

You care for a child for a short time while their usual carers take a break. This might be regular and planned, or if their usual carer has an emergency.

Concurrent care

You care for a child while the court decides if they should return to their birth parents or if kinship care is possible.

You may become the child’s long-term carer if they cannot go back to their birth family.

Long-term care (over 2 years)

You care for a child when they:

cannot go back to their birth family
the ACT Childrens Court has made a Care and Protection Order until they turn 18 years old.

Permanent care

You care for a child until they turn 18 years old. You’ll get full parental responsibility, usually through Enduring Parental Responsibility or adoption.

How to apply

There are multiple organisations who look after children in foster care, and foster carers, in the ACT. If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, you can contact these organisations.

These agencies are approved by the ACT Government to provide foster care services. Each agency offers training, ongoing support and connection with other carers.

Foster carers in the ACT must be registered with an organisation to deliver care.

Steps to becoming a carer

Contact organisations to see which one may be a match for you.
Go to an information session, meet with the organisation and submit an application form to the one you want to register with.
The organisation will check your paperwork and do safety checks.
You will attend training and all people in the home will have an interview.
The organisation will write a report and send it to their foster care panel who will decide if you can become a carer.
You will sign carer documents.
You are ready to care for children.

Barnardos

Key Assets Australia

OzChild

Support to look after the child in your care

You’ll get support to look after the child in your care. This support includes money, wellbeing check-ups, training and other government and community support services.

Learn about support you can get when you become a foster carer.