Becoming a Foster Carer in the Northern Territory: What You Need to Know

Over 1,000 children are in out-of-home care in the Northern Territory at any given time, with the number rising in recent years. The vast majority of those children are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The NT consistently needs more carers — particularly in Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine, and remote communities — and the department actively recruits.

If you're considering becoming a foster carer, or if you're a family member being approached about kinship care for a related child, here is what the process actually looks like.

Foster Care vs Kinship Care vs Adoption

These three arrangements are often discussed together but they are legally and practically distinct.

Foster care is a temporary or long-term placement where Territory Families retains legal guardianship of the child. You provide day-to-day care; the department makes significant decisions. The goal of most placements is reunification with the biological family. Some placements become long-term when reunification is not possible, but the legal structure stays the same unless a Permanent Care Order or adoption is pursued.

Kinship care is the placement of a child with a family member — grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or other kin — when a child cannot safely remain at home. Kinship care is prioritized under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, and under general child welfare principles, over placement with unrelated carers. Kinship carers go through a formal assessment process but it is designed to be accessible and not unnecessarily burdensome, given that these are families responding to an immediate need.

Adoption permanently transfers legal parenthood to the adoptive family and severs the biological legal relationship. It requires a Supreme Court order. It is appropriate for a much smaller number of children and situations than foster or kinship care.

If you're not sure which arrangement is relevant to your situation, the single most important distinction is: are you seeking a permanent legal relationship, or are you willing to provide care while the biological family situation is worked through? That question determines which pathway is right for you.

The "Resource Families" Model

Territory Families uses the term "Resource Families" to describe its carers — a deliberate framing designed to emphasize that carers may provide different types of care (respite, short-term, long-term) depending on a child's needs at a given time.

In practice, becoming a Resource Family means you are available for the range of arrangements Territory Families might need. Some families start with respite care, move to short-term placements, and eventually become long-term carers for a specific child. Others are approved specifically for long-term or permanent arrangements from the outset.

If you have a strong preference — for example, you only want to be considered for long-term or permanent placements rather than short-term respite — it is worth stating this clearly during your assessment. The department will try to match placements to carer preferences where possible.

The Assessment Process for Foster Carers

Becoming a foster carer in the NT involves a formal assessment conducted by Territory Families. The process includes:

Initial inquiry and orientation. You contact Territory Families, express your interest, and attend an initial information session about what fostering in the NT involves.

Application and screening. You submit a formal application. Background checks are conducted, including the Ochre Card (Working with Children Clearance), police checks, and a check of the NT child protection register.

Pre-service training. All prospective carers must complete pre-service training before approval. This covers child development, trauma, the ATSICPP, and the practical realities of caring for children who have experienced disruption.

Home study assessment. A Territory Families assessor conducts home visits and interviews to assess your suitability as a carer. This covers your living environment, household members, relationship stability, support networks, financial situation, and motivation.

Approval and matching. Once approved, you are matched with children whose needs align with your assessed capacity.

The foster carer assessment is less intensive than the full adoption assessment, but it is still a proper process. It takes several months from initial inquiry to approval.

Foster Carer Allowances in the NT

Foster carers in the Northern Territory receive a fortnightly Carer Allowance from Territory Families. This is designed to cover the costs of caring for the child — food, clothing, transport, activities — and is not considered taxable income.

The payment rate is set by Territory Families and is adjusted annually. It is structured by the child's age, and additional "complexity loading" payments apply for children with higher support needs (Levels 2-4). Carers also receive an establishment grant of approximately $200 when a new placement begins.

As a general indication, carer payments for children in NT out-of-home care can range from several hundred to over a thousand dollars per fortnight, depending on the child's age and support requirements.

This financial support does not continue if and when a Permanent Care Order is converted to full adoption. Adoptive parents receive no ongoing support payments after finalization.

Kinship Care: The Priority Placement

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children — who represent approximately 85-90% of children in NT out-of-home care — the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007 and the ATSICPP require that placement with extended family or kin is considered first.

If you are a family member of a child who has been removed or is at risk of removal, Territory Families may approach you directly about kinship care. In these situations, the formal assessment process is typically faster and more streamlined, but it still occurs. You will still need an Ochre Card, a police check, and a home assessment.

Kinship carers receive the same Carer Allowance structure as non-relative foster carers. The ATSICPP also means that kinship placements for Aboriginal children should be supported with cultural connection plans to ensure the child maintains their links to Country, community, and language.

Should You Pursue Foster Care or Adoption?

This is the most common fork in the decision-making process for NT families.

If you want a permanent, legal family relationship — with full parental rights, a new birth certificate, and no ongoing government involvement — adoption is the right goal, understanding that it is a rare outcome in the NT for most pathways.

If you want to provide care for a child in need, with the possibility that this could become a long-term or permanent arrangement but without needing it to take a specific legal form from the start, foster care and kinship care are where the need is greatest and where placements are more available.

Many families who ultimately adopt from care started as foster carers. The pathway from care to adoption is possible — but it is not automatic, and it requires the biological family reunification goal to be formally ruled out before it can proceed.

If you're trying to understand whether foster care, a Permanent Care Order, or adoption is the right pathway for your family, the Northern Territory Adoption Process Guide walks through the practical differences in detail, including the legal requirements, financial structures, and realistic timelines for each arrangement.

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