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Foster care

• About foster and kinship care
  • What is foster care?
  • What is kinship care?
  • Who needs care?
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  • Specialist foster care
  • Non family-based care
• Becoming a carer
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  • Foster and kinship care support line
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• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
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• Regulation of care
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  • Matters of concern
  • Community Visitors
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  • Community foster care agencies
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  • Foster and Kinship Carer Card contacts
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What is foster care?

Some children and young people cannot stay at home because their families are unable to look after them or they may be at risk of harm.

There are a number of ways that our department provides care for children and young people, depending on their needs. One of these ways is to provide family-based care with families located within the child's community.

Family-based care is the most common type of care arrangement for children who cannot live at home because of abuse or neglect. Family-based care includes foster care, kinship care and support care.

Foster carers are approved by our department to provide care in their own homes for children and young people who have experienced harm or are at risk of harm. This can be for short or long periods of time.

There is a growing need for more foster carers throughout Queensland.

Last updated

6 June 2008