MercyCare / Community Services / Foster Care / About Foster Care

About Foster Care

Experienced, with the child always at the centre

MercyCare has a long history of providing foster care services in Perth for over 40 years. Backed by that experience and knowledge, we understand the importance of offering unwavering support for our foster carers. We believe each child has a special light. We work closely with carers, children, and young people, with the child always at the centre.

Foster care is about providing a safe and supportive home for children and young people who cannot live with their families. There are many reasons why children and young people cannot stay with their families. It could be due to circumstances that have caused harm, such as abuse and neglect, or events whereby families cannot raise children consistently and safely, such as family illness and loss.

Right now, more than 5,000 Western Australian children are living in care.

To learn more about fostering in Perth and becoming a Foster Carer, please call or email our Carer Support Officer, who can answer all your questions or enquire below.

We believe attuned, compassionate, loving and flexible carers and families provide a strong, safe and secure base to see children reach their full potential.

Our community’s most vulnerable children depend highly on adults to create a stable environment and promote safety, well-being, and strong development in all aspects of their lives.

Some vulnerabilities for foster children stem from anxiety around loss and grief, separation from and broken family connections, and exposure to traumatic and painful experiences.

Where children live and grow and how they are cared for shapes their overall development. Strong, resilient families and communities provide the perfect environment for the development of balanced children.

Holding the child at the centre within the context of a secure, attuned, flexible and responsive foster family sets the foundation for teamwork. Which seeks to be guided by best practice guidelines, service standards for out-of-home care, current relevant literature, and shared reflective learning. With this in mind, we enhance the daily living experience for children and young people and build pathways to a positive and successful future.

MercyCare employs the ARC Framework (Attachment, Self-Regulation, Competency). This component-based model identifies three core domains of intervention for children who have experienced trauma.

Each domain has nine building blocks of intervention. Our Foster Carers and staff are trained in the ARC Framework to ensure a consistent approach for our children and young people, including online and face-to-face training options.