A specialist care pathway for people with experience in disability, health, youth work, community services or caring roles.
A specialist care pathway for people with experience in disability, health, youth work, community services or caring roles.
The Professional Foster Care Pilot gives experienced care professionals and people with specialist support skills the opportunity to provide full time, family based care for a child or young person with complex needs.
Delivered by UnitingCare as part of Queensland’s Professional Foster Care pilot, the pilot provides a supported alternative to residential care.
Who the pilot supports
The Professional Foster Care Pilot supports approved carers to provide a safe and stable home for children and young people aged 0 to 17 years with complex support needs. This may include disability, autism, ADHD, FASD, emotional regulation challenges, self-harm or aggressive behaviours, or multiple co-occurring support needs.
Who we’re looking for
We are looking for people with relevant professional and/or lived caring experience to provide full time care for a child or young person with complex needs.
This may include people with backgrounds in disability support, community services, education, health, youth work, caring roles, or lived experience caring for a child with complex needs.
What carers receive
Participants in the Professional Foster Care Pilot receive specialist training, supervision and access to support arrangements aligned with the pilot model.
Eligible carers will receive a tax free allowance package of up to $100,000 per annum, subject to pilot arrangements, eligibility and individual circumstances.
The allowance package is inclusive of relevant foster care allowances available under the pilot arrangements.
Everything you need to know about Professional Foster Care
Many people have questions about the requirements to be a professional foster carer. Read on to find answers to some Frequently Asked Questions regarding this program.
The Professional Foster Care Pilot is a specialist, family based care model (that sits alongside existing foster care models) for children and young people with disability and/or complex support needs who require higher levels of care, stability and therapeutic support.
The pilot supports children and young people to live in safe, nurturing home environments where family based care is suitable, rather than remaining in residential care.
The Professional Foster Care Pilot provides a higher level of structure, training and support than traditional foster care.
It is designed for children and young people with complex needs who may be transitioning from residential care, alternative care settings or significant placement instability.
Professional Foster Carers work closely with UnitingCare, Child Safety and specialist services as part of a professional care team.
No. Professional Foster Carers will receive a tax free allowance up to $100,000 per annum to help cover the additional care related costs of supporting a child or young person with complex needs. The amount depends on the child or young person’s needs, circumstances, jurisdiction and complexity of care required. This amount is inclusive of the standard foster care allowance currently received by carers.
No. This is a 24/7, full time caring role and is not compatible with paid employment. Professional Foster Carers need to be available to provide consistent care, attend meetings and training, and work closely with the care team.
No, formal qualifications are not required. What matters most is relevant experience, stability and the capacity to provide full time care for a child or young person with complex needs.
Relevant experience may include professional, volunteer or lived experience in care, disability, health, education, youth work or community services.
Yes. If you know someone who may have the experience, stability and capacity to become a Professional Foster Carer, you are welcome to share this information with them. They can contact UnitingCare to learn more about the role and next steps.
Enquire now
If you have any questions, require further information, or would like to discuss how you can become a life-changer, call us on 1300 554 240. Or fill out the form below and one of our team members will be in touch with you.
