About our Children

On this page:

About the children
Children with special needs

About the children

Every child and young person placed in care is unique and no two children in care are the same. They come from a wide range of cultures, backgrounds and family types. Many have been exposed to a wide variety of experiences, some of which may be completely unfamiliar to you. The majority of children and young people are brought into care because they have been harmed. Depending upon their family background and the reasons why they were brought into care, some children and young people may have some of following behaviours or characteristics. These things add to the challenges and rewards of being a carer:

appear incapable of showing love, eg. not showing emotion, returning hugs etc
be unusually clingy or alternately appear very distant or withdrawn
be excessively demanding of attention or shy away from attention or affection
engaging in experimental or dangerous behaviour
have knowledge / behaviours in advance of their years, eg. sexualised behaviours
be rebellious, stubborn or defiant
steal or destroy property
have difficulty adjusting to a routine or a family environment
display a love/hate relationship to parents
be overly emotional, get upset easily or have temper tantrums
act in an immature way for their age or act in a too adult way eg play the role of parent
not show fear when you would usually expect this of a child their age
lack a positive attitude to school, perhaps a history of poor attendance, eg. wagging, suspension
show low self-esteem, lack confidence in ability to perform age appropriate tasks.

Children with special needs

Download factsheet: Caring for Children with Special Needs

There are children and young people in care who have Special Needs. Many of these children enjoy good health, attend their local school, playsports and are able to care for themselves. Other children and young people have more intensive special needs and may require more intensive help from a carer like assistance with their daily personal care, more intensive behavioural management, use of mobility devices - eg. wheelchairs - or have specialised medical or nursing care needs.

The range of Special Needs can include:

physical
intellectual
medical
behavioural

For some children and young people in care they may have a combination of these special needs , for example physical and intellectual or physical and medical. So, the severity of the child’s special needs and the intensity of the support they require from a Foster Carer varies from child to child.

People interested in caring for children with special needs may need to:

work with a greater number of services and/or professionals, eg. Paediatricians, Nutritionists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Tutors, Youth Workers, Medical Consultants, Disability Services etc
modify their home to cater for the child’s needs, eg. create extra space for mobility, remove hazards for safety, modify taps, handles, bathrooms for daily living needs FACS can provide assistance to carers towards modifications of the home environment, once a suitably trained person has assessed what specific modifications are required.
provide a more intense level of daily care to the child or young person in accordance with their needs or capacity to care for themselves
attend specialist appointments on a regular basis
provide a higher level of one-on-one time to support the child in their social, emotional and personal development
attend specialised training opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge required to care for the child’s special needs be supported with regular respite care, in recognition that caring for children with special needs places greater demands and challenges upon carers.