FOUR sons might make for a full house for most people, but Mount Gambier couple Nicole and Ian decided more than six years ago they had love to share with more children in the Limestone Coast.
As foster carers with ac.care, they have welcomed 16 children into their home for various periods of time.
Now two young girls, aged 18 months and four, call their house a home and are in the couple’s long-term care.
“It’s just nice to come home from work and feel you’re making a difference, but also seeing how kids grow, develop and being a part of their life,” Ian said.
“Being a foster carer does cost you – it costs you your time and energy, your love and compassion, but you just cannot place a value on the end result – it’s so fulfilling,” Nicole added, when reflecting on the opportunity for the girls to be raised in a safe and stable home.
The two girls have been in the couple’s care from soon after birth.
“With four boys, it’s been really cool to have two girls in our house now,” Ian said.
“Just coming home and having these little kids race up to you and want to see how your day was and those sort of things are nice – you sort of forget about when your kids get a bit older.”
With the family expanding to six children, Nicole said foster care had brought them all closer together.
“Because of their experiences with children coming into our home, we have been able to have really open discussions with our boys about life and empathy,” Nicole said.
“The boys have been a big help to us and they just treat the girls like they are part of the family – they have so many laughs with them and they are absolutely adored.”
Before taking the two girls into their long-term care, the couple welcomed foster children for a day or week through to a month or longer after becoming aware of the need for more foster carers in the region.
“With each child, you value that time you have with them and know you could be changing their lives, whether you’re just providing safety for a while or giving them some respite from issues in their own lives,” Ian said.
But he said the couple was not alone facing challenges that came with foster care thanks to the involvement of a broad care team.
“There’s great support with ac.care and their staff share the journey with you, plus the Child Protection Department has some amazing people – it’s really a team thing,” he said.
However, Ian said considering whether to become a foster carer was still a big decision and one that should be discussed with the entire family.
Despite their huge contribution to the lives of many children, Nicole dismissed suggestions they were “special people”.
“We are just ordinary everyday Aussies,” she said.
“We have had to look past ourselves, question ‘what’s the big picture?’ and try and put ourselves in place of the children to consider what they are thinking. Are they thinking ‘is there someone out there who will love me?’.
“As adults, we should be thinking about the welfare of children in our community.”
With a growing number of young people in South Australia, including in the Limestone Coast, taken into state care and in need of foster placements, they urged other people to consider opening their hearts and homes to young people.
“If you do have a spare room and a place in your heart where you can give a little bit more love, maybe it is for you – you can make a massive difference in a child’s life,” Ian said.
“It’s something that is so needed in the community.”
Nicole will feature in webinars presented by ac.care this month to encourage people considering foster care to learn more about what is involved in joining the organisation’s network of carers.
Visit accare.org.au to register or for more information.
The foster care team can also be contacted on 1300 ACCARE (1300 222 273).
