1
00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:08,200
Speaker 1: It's the Happy Families podcast. It's the podcast for the

2
00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:15,320
Speaker 1: time poor parent who just wants answers, Now.

3
00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:15,680
Speaker 2: How many kids is enough?

4
00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,560
Speaker 3: Could you handle having the six that mishappy families that

5
00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:24,119
Speaker 3: I have? What if I said thirteen thirteen children? My

6
00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,200
Speaker 3: guest today Unhappy Families Podcast is Blinda Baxter. Blinda has

7
00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:30,360
Speaker 3: thirteen children. Now, not all the children are her own

8
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,479
Speaker 3: biological children. Belinda is a foster carer and in addition

9
00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,199
Speaker 3: to her own kids, she's looking after and caring for

10
00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,239
Speaker 3: a range of other children. And today my conversation with

11
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,879
Speaker 3: her is about how you do that? Literally, like if

12
00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:47,440
Speaker 3: you wanted to do that, how would you do it?

13
00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,800
Speaker 3: But also how how do you do that? Foster Care

14
00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,080
Speaker 3: Week is happening this week in Victoria. It happens at

15
00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,440
Speaker 3: different times in different states around the country, but right

16
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,200
Speaker 3: now it's Foster Care Week in Victoria. Started on Sunday

17
00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:01,279
Speaker 3: and goes all this week. Thanks so much for being

18
00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:04,120
Speaker 3: on the podcast. Can you please tell me how many

19
00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:05,640
Speaker 3: children are in your care?

20
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,520
Speaker 1: Hi? Justin thank you for having me on board. We

21
00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:12,680
Speaker 1: currently have thirteen incredible children in our home.

22
00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,040
Speaker 3: So for anyone who didn't quite hear that the first time,

23
00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,760
Speaker 3: one three, one, three, that's ten plus three is thirteen.

24
00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,000
Speaker 3: So it's my six kids plus another seven. Yes, okay,

25
00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,320
Speaker 3: we'll walk me through this. How does this work? How

26
00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,280
Speaker 3: many of them are your biological children? Are they all

27
00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:30,199
Speaker 3: living in the house at the same time? How big

28
00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,280
Speaker 3: is your house? How many toilets do you have? How

29
00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:34,880
Speaker 3: much toilet paper do you go through on a daily basis?

30
00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,000
Speaker 3: I need to know the details, and then I want

31
00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,720
Speaker 3: to get into the foster care thing, but just first

32
00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,640
Speaker 3: the overview of the family and how the house dynamic works.

33
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,080
Speaker 1: We definitely have loads of toilet paper.

34
00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:45,760
Speaker 2: Is it the chief stuff? Or do you go with

35
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,000
Speaker 2: three play? I got to know, we got to go.

36
00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,080
Speaker 1: Three ply and Wolla's look after us incredibly. Well, we're

37
00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:57,320
Speaker 1: VIP members down there, surprise. So we have six biological

38
00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,600
Speaker 1: children together and we have three kinship children and four

39
00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:04,480
Speaker 1: foster children currently in our home.

40
00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,240
Speaker 3: Wow, okay, what are their ages? And also how do

41
00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,440
Speaker 3: the foster care kinship kids fit in with your own children?

42
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:12,600
Speaker 1: Like?

43
00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,240
Speaker 3: Are your children all older and then you've started with

44
00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,840
Speaker 3: a younger group or do they just fit in like

45
00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:19,320
Speaker 3: one great big Brady bunch.

46
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,680
Speaker 1: Well, our journey actually started as kinship care is and

47
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,040
Speaker 1: from there, we grew a huge passion for helping children,

48
00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:32,120
Speaker 1: and we decided from there that we would do our

49
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:32,799
Speaker 1: foster care.

50
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,880
Speaker 3: So I know that this is foster care week, but

51
00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,480
Speaker 3: a lot of people might not be familiar with the

52
00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,680
Speaker 3: term kinship care. Can you just describe what that is,

53
00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,960
Speaker 3: and then we'll step back into the foster care conversation.

54
00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,880
Speaker 1: So there's kinship care and kids, I believe, and that

55
00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,640
Speaker 1: is our children that you're either related to or you

56
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,160
Speaker 1: have a community connection to.

57
00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,480
Speaker 3: I see, okay, all right, so you've got some kind

58
00:02:55,480 --> 00:03:00,240
Speaker 3: of a connection. Maybe it's your sister is unworth well,

59
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,840
Speaker 3: can't look after our children for any number of reasons,

60
00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,160
Speaker 3: or your brother is in prison and there's some challenges there.

61
00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:10,200
Speaker 3: And so now you're taking on that kinship care, and

62
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,480
Speaker 3: then of course that expands out into foster care, which

63
00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:15,600
Speaker 3: is when you're taking on somebody with whom you have

64
00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,640
Speaker 3: no previous sort of relationships, somebody who just needs help.

65
00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:21,119
Speaker 1: That's absolutely right.

66
00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,320
Speaker 3: Okay, So when did all this begin? You began by

67
00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,000
Speaker 3: doing some kinship care for family or someone in the

68
00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,480
Speaker 3: community that needed some help, and then it expanded.

69
00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,600
Speaker 1: Yeah, so our journey began in two thousand and nineteen.

70
00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,040
Speaker 1: So we've been I think it's been about seven or

71
00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:41,440
Speaker 1: eight or nine years now.

72
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,800
Speaker 2: So you had all of your children before this began,

73
00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:45,360
Speaker 2: we did?

74
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,880
Speaker 3: Okay, So you've got six biological kids and then you think,

75
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,760
Speaker 3: you know, somebody needs some help, and we just happen

76
00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:52,320
Speaker 3: to be the people.

77
00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:53,240
Speaker 2: Well, I mean, we're all right at this.

78
00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,280
Speaker 3: We've got a six of our own. We're like Justin

79
00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,520
Speaker 3: and Kylie Coulson, we can do this, and so you

80
00:03:58,600 --> 00:03:59,160
Speaker 3: decide to.

81
00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,480
Speaker 1: Go at it absolutely.

82
00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:02,120
Speaker 2: Okay?

83
00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,720
Speaker 3: All right, So do you currently have all thirteen of

84
00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,320
Speaker 3: those children in your care? Like they're under your roof?

85
00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:08,880
Speaker 1: I sure do.

86
00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:10,240
Speaker 2: How old's the oldest?

87
00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,640
Speaker 1: The oldest is seventeen, okay, and.

88
00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,320
Speaker 2: That's that's your biological child.

89
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,159
Speaker 1: No, this is a foster child, right, okay, So we

90
00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,320
Speaker 1: have a seventeen year old, three fifteen year olds, a

91
00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,800
Speaker 1: fourteen year old, a twelve year old, another two twelve

92
00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:31,599
Speaker 1: year olds, ten, two, nine, six, and seven. Sorry I

93
00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:32,799
Speaker 1: said that all back to front.

94
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,160
Speaker 2: Did you know what this?

95
00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:36,479
Speaker 3: Anyone who's listening to this is kind of going, hang on?

96
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,440
Speaker 3: Did you say you have three fifteen year olds and

97
00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,440
Speaker 3: a fourteen year old? I'm currently raising my fifth fourteen

98
00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:43,960
Speaker 3: year old, and if she's listening, I'm so sorry, lil,

99
00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,120
Speaker 3: but fourteen year olds are half right, Like, this is

100
00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,080
Speaker 3: a difficult age. You're raising three fifteen year olds and

101
00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,120
Speaker 3: a fourteen year old. Okay, So how many bedrooms do

102
00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:53,400
Speaker 3: you have.

103
00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:53,880
Speaker 2: In your house?

104
00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,120
Speaker 1: So we have seven bedrooms inside?

105
00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:01,240
Speaker 3: Okay, all right, and then there's the doctor outside, right, yeah,

106
00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:01,720
Speaker 3: we have.

107
00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,159
Speaker 1: Six independent living units outside.

108
00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,359
Speaker 2: Well okay, Blenda.

109
00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,839
Speaker 3: Not everybody wants to or can take on a child,

110
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:10,599
Speaker 3: especially in a full time role, but a lot of

111
00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,719
Speaker 3: people want to help. There's more than just a full

112
00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,159
Speaker 3: time care role in foster care, isn't there?

113
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,560
Speaker 1: Absolutely? There are many different types of care roles that

114
00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,480
Speaker 1: you can do in foster care. There is a spike care,

115
00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,279
Speaker 1: which is a short stage a child or young person

116
00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,640
Speaker 1: which gives foster cares and their own family a little

117
00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,480
Speaker 1: bit of a break. So that could just be you know,

118
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,000
Speaker 1: having a child over the weekend or for a week,

119
00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,120
Speaker 1: which is lovely. You can do some great fun activities

120
00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,640
Speaker 1: with them and enjoy that relationship, but then they go

121
00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,280
Speaker 1: back to their foster parents or their families. There's emergency care,

122
00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:52,240
Speaker 1: which is providing care to a child immediately, and that

123
00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:54,120
Speaker 1: could be for a few days or up to a

124
00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:54,720
Speaker 1: few weeks.

125
00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:57,360
Speaker 2: One of my friends got a phone call in the

126
00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:57,880
Speaker 2: middle of the night.

127
00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,400
Speaker 3: He'd signed up to be an emergency care for to Care,

128
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,279
Speaker 3: and there'd been a terrible incident in a young baby's family,

129
00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:10,200
Speaker 3: and the baby was only hours old as it stood,

130
00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,120
Speaker 3: and so he took he and his wife took care

131
00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:17,080
Speaker 3: of that baby and ended up adopting that baby. And

132
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,920
Speaker 3: I mean that was a I know that reunification is

133
00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,719
Speaker 3: always the goal with this kind of situation, but unfortunately

134
00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:26,920
Speaker 3: and that circumstance, that wasn't possible, and they ended up

135
00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:29,360
Speaker 3: adopting and finding a new member of the family who's

136
00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:31,359
Speaker 3: had just been so meaningful to them. So, hearing you

137
00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,520
Speaker 3: talk about those different kinds of care, it's incredible how

138
00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,520
Speaker 3: impactful these children become in your home. Tell me about

139
00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:44,120
Speaker 3: the motivation here. This is not what we hear happening.

140
00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,680
Speaker 3: This is an unusual set of circumstances. How did you

141
00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:51,400
Speaker 3: go from saying let's look after and help care for

142
00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,719
Speaker 3: our child to saying we should just keep going with

143
00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,600
Speaker 3: this like this is great and thirteen thirteen is the

144
00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,520
Speaker 3: right number for us.

145
00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:02,680
Speaker 1: What I will say is, it doesn't matter if you

146
00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,080
Speaker 1: have thirteen children, or you're a family of one or two,

147
00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,920
Speaker 1: your face to the same challenges and the same experiences.

148
00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:17,760
Speaker 1: It's just extra loads of washing, extra time. So it's

149
00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,920
Speaker 1: once you have those foundations in place, I guess it

150
00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,320
Speaker 1: doesn't matter how many children you have. It just works.

151
00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:29,240
Speaker 1: So for us, I guess what gives me the drive

152
00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,400
Speaker 1: and the strength to keep going is seeing the positive

153
00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,840
Speaker 1: impact that you can make on a child's life, because

154
00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,200
Speaker 1: it's the most rewarding experience in the world.

155
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,720
Speaker 3: You said that your journey began because you wanted to

156
00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,480
Speaker 3: help somebody who is close or you're connected to. But

157
00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,080
Speaker 3: I'm still trying to understand how does that go from

158
00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,240
Speaker 3: one child to an additional seven. My understanding of most

159
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,880
Speaker 3: people who are engaged in foster care is that they

160
00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,040
Speaker 3: take on one or maybe two kids. Maybe in an

161
00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,360
Speaker 3: extreme case, they might take on three. But you've you've

162
00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:04,080
Speaker 3: carried that on. Where did that come from? What prompted

163
00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,840
Speaker 3: promoted inspired that?

164
00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:10,000
Speaker 1: I guess for us, it's about you don't just overnight

165
00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:13,880
Speaker 1: go we're going to have thirteen children. We absolutely never

166
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,120
Speaker 1: planned a large family at all. We don't have a

167
00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,840
Speaker 1: goal of having the most children or anything like that.

168
00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:24,560
Speaker 1: It just happens. There's children that need care and we're

169
00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,040
Speaker 1: able to provide that. I will actually add that I'm

170
00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,720
Speaker 1: at capacity, So our family is not going to grow, Okay,

171
00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,120
Speaker 1: there is there is a there is a you know,

172
00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,000
Speaker 1: there is a boundary, and you need to be able

173
00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:39,640
Speaker 1: to provide care and good quality of care to all

174
00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:44,280
Speaker 1: of these children. So we are absolutely at capacity. But

175
00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:48,720
Speaker 1: I guess for us, every family's every family in foster

176
00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:51,920
Speaker 1: care is unique and different, and for us, I'm very

177
00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,160
Speaker 1: fortunate that my husband works from home and we live

178
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,439
Speaker 1: on a great property of five acres, and we've got

179
00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,280
Speaker 1: a really good workshop on our property. My husband's a

180
00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:10,960
Speaker 1: dsent mechanic, So I guess for us, to particularly for

181
00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,160
Speaker 1: our teenage boys, my husband does a lot of hands

182
00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,720
Speaker 1: on skills with those kids. So a lot of these

183
00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:23,760
Speaker 1: kids can come with different challenges, and I guess for us,

184
00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,439
Speaker 1: our approach is doing lots of hands on skills with them,

185
00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,720
Speaker 1: teaching them life skills because sometimes schools not for them

186
00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,840
Speaker 1: and sometimes they really struggle. So if we can combine

187
00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,640
Speaker 1: the two and give them those life skills as well,

188
00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:42,880
Speaker 1: it definitely makes a difference. You've got to have foundations

189
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,520
Speaker 1: like so we've got a lot of teenagers. So part

190
00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:50,400
Speaker 1: of having teenagers here is teaching them independent living skills.

191
00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:54,079
Speaker 1: So before I mentioned that we have lots of units outside,

192
00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,720
Speaker 1: so part of that is that we've got a kitchen

193
00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,400
Speaker 1: outside where they're learning to live in Handently, we've got

194
00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,880
Speaker 1: a laundry outside as well, where children that are ready

195
00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:06,280
Speaker 1: they'll learn that.

196
00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:08,120
Speaker 2: So it must be such a relief for you.

197
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,840
Speaker 1: It is such a relief, Like when they say I

198
00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,960
Speaker 1: want to do my own washing, I'm like clapping my hands, going, yes,

199
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,360
Speaker 1: that's one basket less in my laundry head. But it's

200
00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,280
Speaker 1: not just about taking on kids. It's about how can

201
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,319
Speaker 1: we change and how can we help them, How can

202
00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,120
Speaker 1: we shape their life, What can we sew into them

203
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,520
Speaker 1: that's going to have an impact for when they're adults.

204
00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,720
Speaker 1: And that's what gives me the drive to keep going.

205
00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,960
Speaker 3: Some years ago, I'd say maybe ten or twelve years ago,

206
00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,600
Speaker 3: shortly after we had our final our sixth daughter, Kylie,

207
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,240
Speaker 3: and I began the process of talking with an agency

208
00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:53,720
Speaker 3: to see whether or not we might step into foster care.

209
00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,040
Speaker 3: At the time, for a number of reasons, it was

210
00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,720
Speaker 3: too much of a process. Number one and number two

211
00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:02,680
Speaker 3: we just we looked at our lives and thought, we

212
00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,160
Speaker 3: don't think we can actually do this. It might be

213
00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,080
Speaker 3: a bridge too far. We're already swamped and overwhelmed with

214
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,720
Speaker 3: our own six kids, and so we pulled back. I

215
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,160
Speaker 3: have spoken to other people over the years, and it's

216
00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,960
Speaker 3: been some time since I've had a conversation like this,

217
00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:17,600
Speaker 3: but I have spoken to some people over the years

218
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,120
Speaker 3: who have said the whole foster care system is very

219
00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:24,760
Speaker 3: very hard to navigate, hard to get into, and hard

220
00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:27,920
Speaker 3: to engage with in any meaningful way.

221
00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:30,800
Speaker 2: Has that been your experience as well?

222
00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:34,240
Speaker 3: Tell me about what the process is. If somebody wants

223
00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,719
Speaker 3: to foster and is inspired by your story.

224
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,480
Speaker 1: Well, I'll be completely honest. When my husband and I

225
00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:44,720
Speaker 1: were thinking about becoming foster carers, I thought, how do

226
00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,360
Speaker 1: I make that phone call and say I've already got

227
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,160
Speaker 1: this many children and I want to have like I

228
00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,160
Speaker 1: want to do more and to be completely honest. When

229
00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,480
Speaker 1: I contacted my agency and I told them my story,

230
00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,640
Speaker 1: one of our workers actually came out and said, I

231
00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,360
Speaker 1: actually need to see this. I actually need to physically

232
00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:05,320
Speaker 1: come out here and see you and see your home

233
00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:09,000
Speaker 1: and see your kids before we go any further. But

234
00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:13,440
Speaker 1: when I was curious and I had questions and I

235
00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,000
Speaker 1: was thinking about becoming a foster carer, I googled and

236
00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:21,119
Speaker 1: I actually rained foster in Connections and that's a Victorian

237
00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:25,360
Speaker 1: initiative in Victoria. And that was the best thing I

238
00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,600
Speaker 1: ever did. I had a lengthy, one hour conversation with

239
00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,719
Speaker 1: a beautiful person that I still talk to now, and

240
00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:35,520
Speaker 1: I told her my life story and I told her

241
00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:41,400
Speaker 1: my drive and had questions and she told me everything

242
00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,240
Speaker 1: that I needed to know. She answered all of my

243
00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:48,760
Speaker 1: questions and she spoke truthfully to and it just it

244
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,240
Speaker 1: gave me a really good insight of foster care and

245
00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,600
Speaker 1: what it's all about. And she even helped me with

246
00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,360
Speaker 1: some agencies that I could contact to do the next

247
00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,560
Speaker 1: stage of reaching out to them and say, hey, you know,

248
00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,640
Speaker 1: I'm really interested in becoming a foster carer. And that's

249
00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:05,280
Speaker 1: sort of where it all began for us.

250
00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,439
Speaker 3: And so from there you do a course or you're

251
00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,160
Speaker 3: fill in some paperwork and then a child arrives.

252
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,560
Speaker 1: I wish it was that easy, justin.

253
00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,280
Speaker 2: I really do with a bow and a ribbon and

254
00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:18,160
Speaker 2: everything's ready to go.

255
00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:20,840
Speaker 1: Absolutely, But you know what, I'm really grateful for the

256
00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,360
Speaker 1: process because at least we know when you do become

257
00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,240
Speaker 1: a foster care you're going to be providing a child

258
00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,400
Speaker 1: the best home you can and all of these relevant

259
00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:33,640
Speaker 1: checks have taken place to become a foster carer. So look,

260
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,080
Speaker 1: it is a little bit of a lengthy process, but

261
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,640
Speaker 1: it's a very rewarding process and I did enjoy enjoy

262
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:45,200
Speaker 1: the assessment and the process we went through. It can

263
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,320
Speaker 1: feel a little bit overwhelming, but the agency that you're with,

264
00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:51,480
Speaker 1: they support you the whole way through it and make

265
00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:55,280
Speaker 1: it really easy for you. So I guess the first

266
00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:57,840
Speaker 1: thing to do is you need to connect with a

267
00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:02,920
Speaker 1: foster care agency. Advice would be connecting with giving Foster

268
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,360
Speaker 1: and Connections a call and saying, hey, you know this,

269
00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:09,679
Speaker 1: I'm interested in becoming a foster care because they'll actually

270
00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:13,360
Speaker 1: take the time and have that conversation with you and

271
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,000
Speaker 1: then that'll answer all of your questions. And then connect

272
00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,920
Speaker 1: with a foster care agency. There's lots of foster care

273
00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:26,680
Speaker 1: agencies in Victoria or statewide. Generally, after you've made contact

274
00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,120
Speaker 1: with a foster care agency, they'll invite you to an

275
00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:34,400
Speaker 1: information session or depending on the agency or the worker

276
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:37,640
Speaker 1: that sorry the agency that you're with, a worker may

277
00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:39,760
Speaker 1: actually come and visit the home and then they'll help

278
00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,080
Speaker 1: you make an informed decision about foster care. So that's

279
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:49,080
Speaker 1: a really nice way of starting the process. And then

280
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,600
Speaker 1: if you are ready to take the leap, there's lots

281
00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,600
Speaker 1: of paperwork I'm not gonna lie and a few background checks,

282
00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,240
Speaker 1: but again your agency will help you through that, and

283
00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:04,200
Speaker 1: then you attend some training and that training gives you

284
00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,280
Speaker 1: all the skills on becoming a foster care and dealing

285
00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:11,760
Speaker 1: with challenges and lots of strategies. And then the final

286
00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,320
Speaker 1: the final part of the process is you'll have an

287
00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:20,280
Speaker 1: assessment stage and that's where like an individual assessor will

288
00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,920
Speaker 1: come to your home, maybe four to eight times, and

289
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,600
Speaker 1: they will come and ask you some questions about your family,

290
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:31,360
Speaker 1: your skills, your experience, and then you hit the panel

291
00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,880
Speaker 1: and they make the final decision of whether you're going

292
00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,120
Speaker 1: to be a foster care or not.

293
00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,520
Speaker 3: Obviously you pass with flying colors. Blenda, what's the hardest

294
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,600
Speaker 3: part of doing what you do? What's the hardest part

295
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,600
Speaker 3: of bringing somebody else's children into your home and saying

296
00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,960
Speaker 3: this is your place, now, we're here for you, We

297
00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:56,920
Speaker 3: are the supportive, available approachable, helpful adults in your life. Welcome,

298
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,760
Speaker 3: We're glad to have you. What's the hardest part of

299
00:15:58,800 --> 00:15:59,480
Speaker 3: foster caring?

300
00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,720
Speaker 1: Hardest part about being a foster care is the unknown

301
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,240
Speaker 1: for us. You know, when a child comes into your care,

302
00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,240
Speaker 1: you've got to get to know them. It's like a

303
00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,120
Speaker 1: blank canvas for them. They've got to come into a

304
00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:21,000
Speaker 1: new home, new people, new smells, new food, new environment.

305
00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,200
Speaker 1: It comes with lots of challenges on lots of unexpected challenges.

306
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,320
Speaker 1: But I guess for us, we celebrate the positive moments

307
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,080
Speaker 1: and we face the challenges as they come, and we

308
00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:34,480
Speaker 1: learn and grow from them. And that's what makes this

309
00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,880
Speaker 1: foster care journey so unique is that you do get challenges,

310
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:43,239
Speaker 1: but you do get some really rewarding and amazing experiences

311
00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:44,240
Speaker 1: as well.

312
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,360
Speaker 3: Listen to what you're saying. I love the reality of

313
00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:50,440
Speaker 3: the challenge that you acknowledge, but also there's this hopeful message.

314
00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,200
Speaker 3: It's like you're watching the progress. You're seeing the change

315
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,760
Speaker 3: in children who and now receiving opportunities that they might

316
00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,000
Speaker 3: not otherwise receive. Blinda, my heck goes off to you.

317
00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,160
Speaker 3: It's an extraordinary story. It's inspiring. I hope that as

318
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:07,480
Speaker 3: people listen that they have a renewed interest, perhaps or

319
00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,480
Speaker 3: a brand new interest in what foster care might be

320
00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:13,680
Speaker 3: and whether it could be something for them to look at.

321
00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,280
Speaker 3: Really appreciate you sharing your story today on the Happy

322
00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,119
Speaker 3: Families Podcast. Thanks for being with us, Thank you for

323
00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,520
Speaker 3: having me. What an inspiring conversation. Foster Careweek in Victoria

324
00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:26,200
Speaker 3: all this week and other states. I mean, you don't

325
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,719
Speaker 3: have to wait till Foster Care Week to get involved

326
00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:30,280
Speaker 3: with foster care. So if it sounds like something you're

327
00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:32,960
Speaker 3: interested in, do a quick google for your relevant state

328
00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:34,280
Speaker 3: or territory.

329
00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:36,520
Speaker 2: And see where it leads.

330
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,520
Speaker 3: The Happy Families Podcast is produced by Justin Rawan from

331
00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,840
Speaker 3: Bridge Media. If you would like more info about making

332
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,320
Speaker 3: your family happier, Happy families dot com dot au is

333
00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:47,879
Speaker 3: the website, or you can visit our social media doctor,

334
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,320
Speaker 3: Justin Courson Happy Families on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok