As school returns for another year, one of the state’s major foster care providers is encouraging families and education professionals to consider opening their home to a child in need.
Copperfield College assistant principal Dan Sullivan and his wife Kim found foster child Tom* slipped into the flow of everyday life alongside their three sons “pretty easily”.
Sydenham locals, the Sullivans became qualified foster carers in mid-2020, and they’ve been offering emergency and respite placements since. Teenager Tom stays with them every third or fourth weekend.
“The boys all have a fair bit in common and Tom feels like family. They’ll wrestle, play basketball, climb things, and they all like computer games,” Mr Sullivan said.
“It’s a variation to the rhythm of the week but it became normal pretty fast. It turns out Kim and I had both been thinking about fostering for a long time before we spoke about it.”
Mr Sullivan said the couple went in knowing the arrangement would be temporary.
“You have to be accepting of the fact they might be placed with you for a short while or a long time. Some kids need a lot of support, some kids need a little,” he said.
“For us, it really does feel like Tom is going to be part of our family for his whole life. Just like you stay in touch with your brothers and sisters, I’m sure that’s what it’s going to be like for Tom and my boys.”
Mr Sullivan said that just like a sports team, kids need a “deep bench” with backups and reserves in their team.
“What you see when you work in schools is that some kids don’t have a lot of solid adult connections in their life,” he said.
“My kids have cousins out the wazoo. There’s all these people they can go to for help. That’s what we hoped to provide as foster carers and that’s how it has worked out. We’re privileged to be a part of a web of supports Tom can ask for advice or go to for help.”
Mr Sullivan said he uses the same skills at school that he uses as a caregiver supporting kids’ life skills and advocating for their education.
“Teachers in particular already have the skills needed to be foster carers. When you’re teaching you see kids which have a huge amount of need and fostering is this simple thing, in a lot of ways, that you can do which has a big impact on someone’s life,” he said.
Anglicare Victoria runs regular information sessions about all things to do with foster caring. To find out when the next one is running near you visit, www.anglicarevic.org.au/.
*Tom’s name has been changed for privacy reasons.
