Carer recruitment

The NSW Government is funding ACWA (Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies) until June 2014, to lead a statewide foster care recruitment campaign to complement individual agencies' recruitment. ACWA has identified a range of potential areas of activity.

Recruitment and Retention Framework

Under the Retention and Recruitment Framework, ACWA is considering broad strategies for NSW, relating these to specific agency or population recruitment and maximising collaborative efforts across the sector.

The Framework would complement current and future strategies undertaken by AbSec and individual out-of-home care providers.

A leadership group (State-wide Reference Recruitment and Retention Group) has been established to inform this work, with representatives from non-government agencies, AbSec and Community Services.

Fostering NSW website

The Fostering NSW website is a one-stop shop for potential carers to learn about foster care in NSW. An upgrade/redevelopment project is underway to enhance the website’s function as the gateway for fostering information. The Transition Program Office (TPO) is working with ACWA to implement this upgrade.

Fostering NSW call centre – 1800 2 FOSTER

The Fostering NSW call centre (accessed by potential carers via the 1800 2 FOSTER number) continues to provide a source of information about fostering and the agencies that offer foster care. Updated information about new and existing OOHC providers is being finalised and will be provided to the call centre. The Fostering NSW booklet Fostering: is it for me? that the call centre provides to interested carers will also be revised.