Courtnee & Lee

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.