Fostering siblings gives “twice the amount of joy” to Shepparton family
Foster care
Laurise and her husband David have been Berry Street foster parents since 2009, during which time they’ve cared for and nurtured more than 50 children.
With two children of their own and a strong commitment to family, the Shepparton couple put their hand up to be foster carers to sibling groups (usually two to three children) – a decision that has brought them much love and joy.
By caring for siblings, you get twice the amount of love and twice the amount of joy!
Foster family keeps siblings together in out-of-home care
Create Foundation’s 2015 study into sibling placement and contact in out-of-home care showed more than a third of Australian children and young people in care are separated from their siblings on entering the system.
This worrying statistic demonstrates how important it is to have foster families who can care for sibling groups to avoid the serious lifelong emotional consequences of children being separated.
Children and young people can come into care with a lot of trauma. I can’t imagine how much more traumatic it would be if siblings had to be separated and didn’t have each other in their new home.
Laurise and David are currently fostering two siblings, who are “blooming” in their care.
“The siblings we’re caring for are magic, they entertain each other all the time – riding their bikes, painting in the bedroom, reading to each other before they go to sleep,” said Laurise.
“They really support each other and do everything together; I love that they’ve got each other.”
Supporting positive outcomes for siblings in foster care
A 2017 University of Oxford study showed that keeping siblings together in foster care can lead to a range of positive outcomes, including greater stability, improved mental health and increased positive educational outcomes.
Their school has told me that they can see the difference in the children – they’re in a happy place and are thriving. I don’t think this would have been the case if they’d gone to live in separate homes.
Laurise has always gone the extra mile to welcome and support the children in her care, from baking cakes to soothe them after a nerve-wracking first day of school to crafting personalised photo albums of their time with the family.
“I wanted to create a record of their life with me and my family and create a snapshot in time of their childhood. It shows them that they were part of our family, no matter how long they stayed with us,” said Laurise.
Fostering becomes a family decision
While Laurise always knew fostering was something she wanted to do, she decided to wait until her own children were teenagers and then they made the decision together to become a foster family.
Laurise and David stress how important it was to keep checking in with their kids during their foster care journey and chat with them before a new child joined their family.
This open approach fostered many positive relationships between their biological children and their foster children – relationships that have flourished well into adulthood.
“We love our big family holidays with my son and his partner, my daughter and her young family and of course, our foster children,” said Laurise.
Become a foster carer and support a local child
Childhood is a journey. Partner with us to support a child or young person on theirs.
As a Berry Street foster carer, you’ll be a part of a team that is committed to supporting children and young people who cannot live safely at home. By providing a safe and nurturing place to live – you'll be there for them at a crucial moment in their life.
This is a version of an original article that appeared in the Shepparton News on the 17th of October 2022.
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