Absec - Foster Care
Support information and advice for Aboriginal kinship and foster carers
Goals
The Goals of AbSec is to improve the information, support and training opportunities for Aboriginal foster carers in NSW so that they can be assisted in their role to provide quality care and support to Aboriginal children and young people.
Working Together
Working together means valuing Aboriginal foster carers and working co-operatively with Aboriginal out-of-home-care (O.O.H.C) agencies, DoCs and other relevant Government and Non-Government agencies to improve the communication, support and training for Aboriginal carers.
Client Services
We aim to enhance the services we provide by identifying the diverse needs and expectations of Aboriginal foster carers. We will ensure that our information is comprehensive, accurate, impartial, accessible and up to date.
Outcomes
Support to foster carers is provided when and where needed to enable them to continue caring for children and young people in O.O.H.C for as long as possible . Foster carers are better trained and skilled to provide quality care for Aboriginal children and young people.
We are committed to providing the following services
- Foster/Kinship carers support groups and representation at local, regional, and state levels.
- Maintaining a register of Aboriginal foster and kinship carers.
- Network opportunities for foster and kinship carers.
- Accurate, culturally appropriate needs based training.
- Foster care advice line.
- Quarterly newsletter.
- Assistance and advice to O.O.H.C agencies about recruitment of foster carers.
- Regional and state seminars.
- On going evaluation and continual improvement of services offered
What we do
Targeted Client Group
The Aboriginal State-wide Foster Care Support Service (ASFCSS) was initially established to support Aboriginal foster carers who were being managed by Aboriginal OOHC service provision and to assist those agencies to support their carers.
The targeted group has since been expanded to include other carers of Aboriginal children and young people. These groups include:
- Kinship carers (supported carers).
- DoCS' Aboriginal carers (especially in those areas where there is no DoCS Aboriginal Carers group established).
- Aboriginal carers supervised by non-Aboriginal agencies.
- Non-Aboriginal carers who are caring for Aboriginal children and young people.
- Non-Active carers (those authorised carers who are not currently caring).
- New carers.
ASFCSS also sees its role as promoting Aboriginal foster care in general with the aim of increasing carer numbers throughout NSW.