Singular example: Deb Archer wants more people to follow her example and become a foster carer. Picture: Wesley Lonergan TheLeader.com.au
BY JIM GAINSFORD
24/06/2008
WOOLOOWARE foster carer Deborah Archer is literally one of a kind.
Ms Archer, 33, is the only foster carer in Sutherland Shire for Barnardos Adolescent Services which works with adolescents aged between 12 and 18.
A former modelling agent, Ms Archer decided to become a carer after visiting an orphanage in Cambodia.
She has been a full-time foster carer for three years to a girl who is now 15 and who she says has become a permanent part of her family.
``She is my foster daughter now whom I love very much,'' she said. ``When I first met her she did not smile a lot or communicate well. Now she is a bright, vivacious teenager.
``The reward has been to watch her grow and become a beautiful young woman.''
Barnardos Adolescent Services urgently needs more carers to provide safe and nurturing accommodation options for young people who cannot reside with their families.
Barnardos gets hundreds of adolescents a year referred to them from various agencies.
They are young people who are at risk of neglect and abuse and need a safe place to live. And there is a particular need for carers in Sutherland Shire.
Carers need to be over 25 and knowledgeable about how to look after children and adolescents.
They need to have a spare bedroom and have no other adolescents living in the home.
They can have full-time employment outside the home while being a carer. And they don't have to come from a nuclear family.
Ms Archer was single when she first became a foster carer. She is now engaged and said her foster daughter is a beautiful part of her new family.
``She is my family forever now,'' she said.
Barnardos needs several types of carers including long-term carers like Ms Archer, respite carers who can care for children once a month and short-term crisis carers. Barnardos pays a generous allowance and provides 24-hour support. It offers carer training and each young person has a case worker.
Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer can call Barnardos Adolescent Services on 9787 4440.
BY JIM GAINSFORD
24/06/2008
WOOLOOWARE foster carer Deborah Archer is literally one of a kind.
Ms Archer, 33, is the only foster carer in Sutherland Shire for Barnardos Adolescent Services which works with adolescents aged between 12 and 18.
A former modelling agent, Ms Archer decided to become a carer after visiting an orphanage in Cambodia.
She has been a full-time foster carer for three years to a girl who is now 15 and who she says has become a permanent part of her family.
``She is my foster daughter now whom I love very much,'' she said. ``When I first met her she did not smile a lot or communicate well. Now she is a bright, vivacious teenager.
``The reward has been to watch her grow and become a beautiful young woman.''
Barnardos Adolescent Services urgently needs more carers to provide safe and nurturing accommodation options for young people who cannot reside with their families.
Barnardos gets hundreds of adolescents a year referred to them from various agencies.
They are young people who are at risk of neglect and abuse and need a safe place to live. And there is a particular need for carers in Sutherland Shire.
Carers need to be over 25 and knowledgeable about how to look after children and adolescents.
They need to have a spare bedroom and have no other adolescents living in the home.
They can have full-time employment outside the home while being a carer. And they don't have to come from a nuclear family.
Ms Archer was single when she first became a foster carer. She is now engaged and said her foster daughter is a beautiful part of her new family.
``She is my family forever now,'' she said.
Barnardos needs several types of carers including long-term carers like Ms Archer, respite carers who can care for children once a month and short-term crisis carers. Barnardos pays a generous allowance and provides 24-hour support. It offers carer training and each young person has a case worker.
Anyone interested in becoming a foster carer can call Barnardos Adolescent Services on 9787 4440.
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