Reflections on the National Kinship, Permanent and Foster Care Conference
Aug 2024
Written by Noel Macnamara Lynne McPherson
At this week’s National Kinship, Permanent and Foster Care conference held in Melbourne, the experiences of pleasure and pain faced by kinship carers were clearly evident. Amidst the stories of love and pride, there were also accounts of deep frustration and distress.
In the sessions we attended, kinship carers spoke clearly about their interactions with the systems designed to support them. Many described feeling under constant surveillance, judged, and in some situations, disrespected. A particularly concerning practice known as “drop and run” was mentioned, where authorities place children with kinship carers on short notice, often without essential provisions including clothing, medical histories, or even Medicare cards.
These stories also revealed other critical issues. Kinship carers spoke of their experiences of traumatisation, disrespect, and failure to receive even basic information about their kin child’s needs or their own rights and entitlements. Some even spoke of threats by government departments to remove their kin children if they demanded their rights or asked too many questions.
One kinship carer, an aunt who was just 23 years old when child protection arrived at her door, spoke about her sudden transition to full-time caring. She shared that child protection workers arrived at her home and told her that her nephew would go into foster care if she did not agree to care for him. In confusion and shock, she agreed. “In one hour, I went from partying every weekend to becoming a full-time mother for an infant”, she said. The child protection workers did not advise her that she was entitled to payments and support, and they did not provide any practical resources. They were fully aware that she had never parented and had extremely limited resources, but this did not result in any compassion or help. They left. It was three years before the carer received any help.
We heard story after story like this during the conference.
Yet, alongside these painful experiences, there were also heart-warming stories of the joy that carers experienced, providing love and nurture to their kin children who had experienced significant early-life challenges. Carers expressed pride in their kin child’s achievements and a strong unconditional love for them. A sense of community emerged amongst carers, who supported and encouraged each other throughout the conference – an important experience to counter the isolation and loneliness carers frequently experience (Understanding the needs of kinship carers, Research Brief, 2022).
Kinship care is now the backbone of Australia’s out-of-home care system, yet it is still often misunderstood and under supported. Kinship care is not simply foster care by another name; it involves unique complexities, including the intergenerational trauma that many carers and children face.
When will governments and support services stop re-traumatising and denying kinship carers and the children in their care their rights? Governments must fully embrace the complexities of kinship care. While it serves as an invaluable resource for children who have experienced adverse events and trauma, it also carries the profound weight and challenge of intergenerational trauma. Both the strengths and struggles of kinship care need to be acknowledged, respected and met with appropriate, compassionate support.
New learning opportunity
Are you a kinship carer or support worker? The CETC has now launched Ordinary People, Extraordinary Hearts, an on-demand training offering for kinship carers. Built on the belief that everyday people with extraordinary hearts can profoundly impact the lives of children who have experienced trauma and adversity, this self-paced online training bolsters and refreshes understanding of trauma-informed care through relatable videos from carers and experts, interactive activities, and practical strategies for responding to trauma-based behaviour.
