Residential Care
Two purpose-built residential units are based in Ballarat to provide fully staffed care for 3-4 children and young people in each unit.
The residential care program has qualified paid staff who provide care for children and young people aged between 8 to 16 years whose individual needs require a specialised placement. The residential care program cares for children and young people on a medium to long term basis with the view to enabling them to return either home to their parents or to other types of care, like foster care or adolescent community placement. All referrals for residential care placements come through Child Protection Services
Foster Care
Foster Care provides accommodation for children 0-17 years of age in homes of well trained and supported caregivers (who receive cost reimbursement). Most referrals for foster care placements come through Child Protection Services. The overall goal of Foster Care is the reunification of children with their families of origin.
CAFS cares for about 80 children each night in its foster care program, covering the part of the Grampians Region east of Ararat and over to Bacchus Marsh.
Foster Care provides a valuable and vital service to children and families in the local community. The Foster Care Program is always seeking new families and individuals who can help us to provide this service.
Adolescent Community Placement (ACP)
ACP, or adolescent foster care, offers homes for young people 12 to 17 years who are unable to live with their families of origin. Volunteer carers look after young people in their own homes on a short, medium or long term basis. Where young people are unable to return to their families of origin, ACP is designed to enhance the young person's transition to independent living.
Families, couples or individuals are able to volunteer to become ACP carers. Carers receive a non-taxable financial reimbursement each fortnight and a case worker provides support to both the carer and the young person.
Complex Care
Children with special needs are cared for on a 1:1 basis by carers who are paid an increased reimbursement to provide this service and who are supported by CAFS' staff. The goal is to manage what may be a difficult period in the child's life to enable the child to return to home based care or to be reunified with their family.
Adoption and Permanent Care
The goal of the permanent care program is to provide a stable home environment for children who are unable to live with their families of origin. Those children are placed permanently with specially assessed and legally approved families subject to a decision by the Court. Sometimes foster care placements are converted to permanent care. At other times, the permanent care placement is with a new family.
Our staff are also approved to provide relinquishment counselling for parents considering adoption of their child, and are qualified to assess people who wish to be considered as adoptive parents.