The Catholic Weekly 17 October 2021

catholicweekly.com.au 3 17, October, 2021 An ordinary Sydney couple are living an extraordinary life, well and truly sharing the love around One of the biggest challenges within fostering is finding carers who are willing to take in a child with a disability … Cathy and Steve Wiseman have taken in four. AFTER ALMOST 20 years of opening their home - and just as importantly their hearts - to some very special children in need, the inspirational couple say they do it quite simply be- cause all kids deserve some- one to call Mum and Dad. With five natural children between them, they are in the process of becoming per- manent guardians through foster agency Family Spirit of children Joel, 16, Amy, 15, and Mitchell, 12, who all have Spi- na Bifida, and toddler Camer- on who has cerebral palsy and vision impairment. All four foster kids are in wheelchairs and require around the clock supervision. For Cathy and Steve, doing anything spontaneous is out of the question, date nights are a thing of the past and go- ing on a holiday takes months of planning and preparation. Managing challenging behaviour, interacting with biological families and deal- ing with red tape from foster agencies are just part and par- cel of their everyday life, yet despite the challenges, Cathy and Steve wouldn’t have it any other way. The western Sydney cou- ple have devoted their lives to ensuring all of their nine children aged between 1 and 38 are given their undivided, time, energy and most of all love. And while they are the first to admit there have been many tears along the way, they have mostly been of joy and not despair. “We are all so much rich- er for having fostered and couldn’t imagine our life any other way,” Cathy said. “They are all our kids and have a home here with us for as long as they want it. “Fostering is not something you do until they reach 18 and then it’s out the door, for us it’s a lifetime commitment, this is their home and we are their parents, it’s that simple. “Steve and I entered our re- lationship with two children each and then hadGrace, now 17, between us, and when she was just 6 months old we de- cided to foster Joel and our family has grown from there. “I am the first to admit that yes it’s bloody hard work, yes we are older, have wrinkles and perhaps can’t get up off the chair like we used to, but in saying that, all our kids de- ¾ Debbie Cramsie 360 degree family love serve to have parents who love them like their own,” she said. “If we walk away like everyone else had done, where would they be?” With around 45,000 children in out of home care in Australia - almost half of those in NSW - demand for carers is always high. The “secret generation” of children can spend weeks, months even years looking for a family while some never ac- tually find one. Stays in short-term hous- ing while waiting for perma- nent placements can vary and could see children jumping around night to night be- tween different locations. Opening their hearts and just as importantly their home … Cathy and Steve Wiseman with daughter Grace and foster children (left to right) Amy, 15, Joel, 16, Mitchell, 12 and Cameron, 15 months. The inspirational couple say that while it’s “bloody hard work” all children deserve to have parents who love them like their own. PHOTO: ALPHONSUS FOK The older they get and those with a disability are al- ways harder to place. Family Spirit, a foster care and adop- tion agency is currently at capacity with 100 children in their care. Looking after children as far afield as Lithgow in the west, Hornsby to the north and Campbelltown–Heath- cote in the south, the agency is urgently looking for carers to help with the huge num- bers of young people in need of somewhere to live. With 55 foster care agencies in NSW, Family Spirit’s point of difference is its focus on Catholic social teachings and Jesus’ rebuke to the Disciples “let the little children come to me and do not stop them for the kingdom of Heaven be- longs to such as these”. CEO Jason Oldridge said the huge numbers looking for someone to care for them is nothing short of heartbreak- ing. He said they are limited only by the number of carers available: if they could attract 50 more carers, they could place an additional 50 kids in a nurturing environment. “These kids are in this posi- tion through no fault of their own and need patient, caring adults to provide them with a positive family experience,” he said. “Every day we see broadcasts going out to vari- ous agencies desperate to find homes for these kids, and sad- ly quite often we know it will never amount to anything be- cause there just isn’t enough carers. “We often talk about the difficulty of being a foster car- er in non-COVID times, but right now, with health depart- ments focused on vaccina- tion, COVID testing, COVID tracing and telehealth servic- es, foster care agencies like Family Spirit working from home and interacting with carers and children remote- ly, carers having to support children to home school, and carers having to manage all of this 24/7, becoming a fos- ter carer may be an even less attractive proposition than normal, although desperately needed.” *Anybody over 18 years of age is eligible to be a foster carer. The decision is a seri- ous one and you need to be ready to work in partnership with Family Spirit. Foster care can be difficult but it can also be more rewarding than you ever dreamed. For more information contact Family Spirit on 131819. IMMEDIATE CARE: A few days, often at short notice PART TIME CARE: A few days, overnight or regular weekends to give long-term carers a break SHORT-TERM CARE: From a few months’ duration to two years until a child can safely return home, or is placed with a long-term carer LONG-TERM CARE: May be until a child reaches 18 years or guardianship or Adoption Order is granted from foster care KINSHIP CARE: Where children are looked after by a relative when they cannot remain at home TYPES OF CARE NEEDED Jason Oldridge CE0 of Family Spirit WANT TO KNOW MORE? Family Spirit is holding two online sessions on either 27 October 12.30pm - 1.30pm 24 November 6.30pm - 7.30pm. To register go to: https://www.familyspirit.org/ our-services/foster-carer/ information-nights/ NEWS