Christine and Ian first joined up as foster carers in Adelaide in 1979.

While they lived in Adelaide they had a few children come and stay for a short time and they decided this was something they would love to do on a regular basis, but in 1982 they moved to Woomera and were unable to foster due to living too far away.

“After a few years in Woomera we saw that ACCA (Aboriginal Child Care Agency – now known as AFSS) in Port Augusta was desperately looking for carers, so we approached them and told them we were interested. This was about 1989, and since that time we’ve had dozens (I couldn’t put a figure on it) of Aboriginal children stay with us, from emergency to short term placements,” says Christine.

“In 1993 we were asked to have a family of four children on an emergency placement, which we readily accepted. The youngest was five months and the oldest was seven. That request turned into a long term placement for these children and we even took on another child born to the same family making it five.

“When we left Port Augusta to come to Port Lincoln there was no ACCA organisation here so we had to leave them and transfer to Families SA in Port Lincoln. ACCA had been a wonderful and supporting agency so it was a bit sad to leave them. The main reason for us leaving Port Augusta was to be with family in Port Lincoln. Ian’s mother’s family were born at the Poonindie Mission and his brother lives here so it was sort of a natural progression. Ian also wanted to get into the fishing industry to follow his love of fishing.”

And today? The five month old baby is now 21 and getting married in January next year. He’s joined the army and is now based in Brisbane. Three of the other children have children of their own and still live in Port Lincoln.

“We can’t imagine not doing fostering, it just seems so natural, and I couldn’t think of not having children living with us,” says Christine.

“We often meet some of the children we’ve fostered and it’s great to see how much they’ve grown and changed over the years. We prefer long term fostering as these children become part of your family and life. We have three long term children living with us now and we can’t imagine doing anything else. It can be a very hard and frustrating journey, but it’s so worth it. We hope to have many years ahead of us with our foster children.”

Twenty years ago, we began our journey, aiming to provide the Jarjums with a safe and loving extended family. Our commitment is to surround them with respect and ensure they access vital resources like health and education while guiding them through life’s challenges.

We are dedicated to reuniting the Jarjums with their family and kinship. With strong connections in the Aboriginal community, we are passionate about every child being raised with their family and community.

It is essential for us to keep them connected to their family and culture, so they always know they are loved, even if they can’t be together every day. As an Aboriginal (Quandamooka mob) and Māori family, we believe in the strength of those connections.

Karen has been an AFSS foster carer since 2012. She’s taken on the care of a two year old child long term, and has had a least 15 children coming into her home for respite during this time.

Karen believes all children should have a loving and stable home environment, in which their trauma, grief and loss can be supported. Karen comes from a youth profession which has developed her skills to manage the behaviours that some children may exhibit.

Karen has a strong commitment to ensuring all children who enter her care maintain their cultural connections with country and family ties, by assisting with travel to remote areas to ensure family contact with both immediate and extended family. Karen feels this is an important role that she plays due to her own children’s family connections.

“The reality is that in some cases I get a phone call an hour before a child enters my home. Some of these children can have very challenging behaviours, you need to take it day by day and be committed to the child,” says Karen.

“Sometimes you get very little information; you’ll need to have observation skills to assist the child in settling into the home. I’m lucky my children are easy going and used to changes in the home because of the own cultural heritage. AFSS has supported me from the commencement of my registration. They’re just a phone call away and gather any information that I require, which allows me to have more of a focus on the child.

“When a child enters my care and then leaves happy, it’s like a feeling of satisfaction, that I have made a difference either big or small. This is why I continue to provide care for Aboriginal children in care.”

My name is Courtnee, and I am a Noongar woman from the South-West of Perth, WA, with family connections to the Bibbulmun people. I currently live on Kaurna Country.

I began my carer’s journey back in 2014, and my husband Lee joined our family and became a carer in 2020. Together, we have three beautiful children, and in our household, there’s no step, half, or foster — we’re simply family.
“Labels are for soup cans anyway!”

My journey began in 2014 when I was driving home from my full-time job in the city and heard an advertisement about becoming a foster carer on the radio. I found a safe place to pull over and submitted my expression of interest straight away.

At the time, I was living with my Nanna and couldn’t wait to get home to share the idea with her. Foster care and kinship care weren’t new to us — we have family in WA who are also carers, and their journey definitely inspired me.

Before I knew it, I was registered at 22 years old — excited, nervous, and grateful for the opportunity to help my community. I’ve always been a carer with AFSS, and I couldn’t have chosen a more supportive agency.

The First Call
It was one afternoon not long after I was registered when the phone rang:
“We have a sibling pair that need respite two nights every fortnight. Do you think you could help?”

A couple of days later, they arrived. I’m not sure who was more nervous — me or the children! That respite arrangement continued for 12 months. I remember hosting a birthday party for one of them. It was overwhelming, exciting, but not quite the reaction I had expected. I later realised this child had never had a birthday party before — a moment that has always stayed with me.

We are now registered for emergency, short-term, long-term, and respite care. Since becoming a family of five, life is busier than ever, so we’ve adjusted our age range to suit our family’s lifestyle.

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of caring for siblings, twins, premature babies, and children who’ve arrived in the middle of the night or even on Christmas morning. To date, we’ve cared for more than 50 children, and we hope to keep our home — and hearts — open for as long as possible.

We’re very lucky to have the support of our family and friends, who accept and help where they can. I truly believe fostering takes a village, not just a household.

There’s been a lot of self-growth, advocacy, and change throughout our caring journey. There’s no such thing as an “easy placement” — every child deserves love, care, connection to culture, and a safe place to call home.

Some highlights for me have been participating in a Foster Care SA advertisement and attending the National Carer’s Conference in 2024.

My Message to Future Carers
If you have the time, energy, and willingness to open your heart and home — it’s possible! It’s always a mix of emotions when the phone rings about a new child, but it brings me comfort knowing we can provide a culturally safe home and the care that every young person deserves.