Teenshare - The Teenshare Team

Who are our carers?
As a foster care program, Teenshare relies on volunteer foster carers to accept young people into their homes. Foster carers are at the very forefront of looking after young people and are responsible for the 24 hour day to day care of the young people who are referred to them.

While there is no typical profile of a Teenshare foster carer, some of the criteria that seem to make for a successful carer include:

Aged between 25 and 65;
Flexible lifestyle;
Good rapport with young people;
Enjoy a challenge;
Able to handle stress well;
Have good support systems (friends, family, pets);
Willing to work as part of a team;

Our carers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have varying family arrangements. A Teenshare carer may be:

Single;
In a relationship;
With or without children;
Working full time, part time or not at all.

The broader the range of carers available, the more chance of accurately matching the needs of the young people with the carers. Some things that carers have in common are the ability to work positively with teenagers who are in crisis and to provide positive role modelling and a sense of safety for young people. We think that Teenshare carers are ordinary people doing extraordinary work.

What does it mean to be a carer?
To be a carer means opening up your home and your life to a young person who is unable to live at home. Apart from food, shelter and other practical requirements, young people often require emotional support from carers as they are in a critical period in their lives. Foster carers are not meant to replace a young person's family or parents. They are there as a comforter, supporter, advocate and friend.

As most young people who come into care with Teenshare are attending school or an alternative day program, it is usually not necessary that foster carers are available during school hours. This means that a carer may have a full time or part time job and still be able to become a foster carer.

Some of the feedback from our carers about why they became foster carers and their reasons for continuing despite the stress and difficulties of the role are:

"Originally [we became foster carers] because we thought we had something to offer, and now because we love our foster kids. It's a great way to do something that actually makes a difference."

"If we spend more time nurturing children we will spend less time repairing adults."

"A couple of words can make a difference to a young person. They can move forward in a short time."

"Fostering gives a couple some common interest- something to do together."

When asked what qualities are important to have to care for a young person, some carers responded:

"Endless patience, willingness to have values and standards challenged, confidence that your influence pays off, sense of humour, unwillingness to be either a pushover or an authoritarian."

"Consistency, flexibility, tolerance, laid back attitude and the ability to step back sometimes."

"It helps to be a bit crazy!"