Many of the west’s most vulnerable children have called the Healy household ‘home’.
Hillside residents Raelene and Steven have provided more than 50 children with a safe place and a family home since they began foster caring in 1999.
At present they are caring for eight children, including four of their own.
Last week the Healys were highly commended in the Robin Clark Memorial Awards after being foster carers for more than 13 years. The Healys were finalists in the ‘changing the definition of family’ and ‘carer of the year’ categories.
The annual state awards recognise the work of foster carers to improve the lives of vulnerable children.
Ms Healy says anyone has the potential to be a carer. “You don’t have to be special to be a foster parent; you just have to have a lot of love to give. You have to be able to offer them safety and security and show them what love is.”
Many of the children the Healys have fostered were extremely fragile when welcomed into the home.
“Every case is different . . . you have to work out how best to care for the child and to respect the family’s wishes as well. They’ve come from families where there is violence, drug problems, mental illness. There are so many sad circumstances and that child never asked to be born into that situation.”
Ms Healy says her four own children, aged 15 to 21, have thrived on the foster children.
“They love them; they treat them like their brothers and sisters,” she said. “They bath, they feed, they change, they’ll do all that. It has made them grow as people.”
Earlier this year, the Healy family became permanent guardians to two boys, aged 6 and 7. They are also fostering two other children.
“It started off with a notice on the fridge,” Ms Healy says. “We had a lot of family discussions, sitting around the kitchen table talking about it, and we will never regret it. It’s given our lives a sense of purpose, that we are giving back to the community.”
For more details, call Baptcare on 9373 3800 or go to baptcare.org.au
