How to Become a Foster Carer in Victoria: The Full Step-by-Step Process

The single most common reason people don't become foster carers in Victoria isn't lack of interest — it's the process. Six to nine months. Multiple agencies. A 16-hour training course. Four to six interviews. A home inspection. Background checks on everyone in the house. Medical certificates. A life story document. An authorisation panel.

By the time someone reads all that, many of them quietly close the browser tab and tell themselves they'll think about it later.

This guide won't soften any of it. But it will walk you through each step in plain language, so the process feels manageable rather than mysterious.

Step 1: Work Out If You're Eligible

Start with the basics. In Victoria, you can foster if you:

• Are at least 21 years old (some agencies consider applicants from 18 for specific roles like respite)
• Are an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Have a spare bedroom that can be used exclusively for a foster child — they cannot share with other children unless siblings are placed together
• Are in reasonable physical and mental health (you'll need a GP medical report to confirm this)
• Have sufficient income to support your own household — the Care Allowance is a contribution, not a salary

You can be single or partnered, employed or not, a homeowner or a renter. There's no minimum income threshold and no religious or cultural requirement. Same-sex couples are fully eligible. Previous experience with children is valued but not mandatory.

A criminal record is not an automatic bar unless it involves child-related offences. Any history will be discussed with you during the assessment. The same applies if you've had previous contact with Child Protection as a subject of concern — this needs to be disclosed and is assessed on its merits.

Step 2: Choose a Community Service Organisation (CSO)

This is a decision most guides gloss over. It matters more than most people realise.

In Victoria, foster carers work with Community Service Organisations, not directly with the government. CSOs are funded non-profits that recruit, train, and support carers. Major agencies operating across Victoria include:

• Berry Street — Large statewide provider, particularly strong in Hume and South East Victoria. Known for therapeutic care and the "I Care 2" program for biological children of carers.
• Anglicare Victoria — Extensive regional network including Gippsland, Bendigo, and eastern Melbourne. Operates a "Care Hub" model in Loddon Mallee.
• MacKillop Family Services — Specialises in disability-focused placements and therapeutic care models. Strong in metro Melbourne and Geelong.
• Baptcare — Western and north-western Melbourne metro, community-based support model.
• OzChild — Dandenong and southern metro; uses evidence-based international therapeutic models.
• Uniting (Vic/Tas) — Eastern metro Melbourne, Wimmera, Gippsland.
• Life Without Barriers — Large national provider with significant Victorian metro and regional presence.
• VACCA — Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency; Aboriginal-specific services for carers who will care for Aboriginal children.

All agencies use the same state-mandated training (Shared Lives) and the same assessment framework. What differs is their geographic reach, the kinds of placements they specialise in, their staff-to-carer ratios, and their culture of support. When you attend an information session, ask specifically: "What is your current carer-to-support-worker ratio?" and "How do you handle after-hours crises?" The answers are telling.

The Fostering Connections website (fosteringconnections.com.au) is the central portal where you can find agencies by postcode and register your interest.

Step 3: Attend an Information Session

After an initial phone screen to check basic eligibility, agencies run information sessions where you meet staff, hear from experienced carers, and ask questions. This is a two-way evaluation — you're assessing whether this agency is a good fit as much as they're assessing whether you're serious.

Bring your household with you if possible. The session is also an opportunity for partners, housemates, or older children to get their questions answered before the household commits.

If you're based in Melbourne, most agencies run sessions in the inner north, southeast, and western suburbs. Regional carers in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, or Gippsland can usually access sessions in their area — larger agencies like Anglicare and Berry Street have regional offices.

If the session feels like a recruitment pitch rather than genuine preparation, that's information worth acting on.

Step 4: Complete Shared Lives Training

Shared Lives is the state-standard pre-service training program used across all Victorian CSOs. It replaced the older "Step by Step" program and consists of approximately 16 hours of content delivered over several sessions — typically on evenings or weekends over three to four weeks.

The curriculum covers:

• Developmental trauma — How early abuse, neglect, and inconsistent care affect brain development, emotional regulation, and attachment
• The PACE model — A parenting approach built on Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy
• Identity and culture — Rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children; the importance of cultural support plans
• Birth family relationships — Understanding contact and why supporting a child's connection to their birth family is part of your role
• Working as a team — Your relationship with the DFFH case manager, your CSO support worker, and the child's family

Shared Lives is more useful than a lot of people expect. But carers consistently report that it doesn't prepare them for the bureaucratic reality — the court process, the high staff turnover in DFFH, or the emotional weight of reunification. Those gaps are real, and worth seeking out additional information to fill.

Both prospective carers in a household must complete the training.

Step 5: Undergo the Carer Assessment

This is the most intensive part of the process. An assessor from your CSO will meet with you and your household members across 4–6 sessions. The assessment is structured around a competency framework and will cover:

Personal history — Your own childhood and family of origin, key relationships, any significant losses or trauma in your background, and how you've processed those experiences.

Parenting capacity — How you were disciplined as a child, your philosophy on managing challenging behaviour, your understanding of trauma-affected children, and your ability to separate a child's behaviour from the child themselves.

Household members — Partners, biological children, and other adults in the home are all interviewed separately. Everyone in the household is affected by fostering, and the assessment checks that everyone is genuinely on board.

Practical capacity — Income verification, home environment, support network, flexibility of employment.

Referees — At least three personal references are contacted independently. Choose people who know you well and can speak to how you handle stress and care for others.

Alongside the interviews, you'll complete background checks (Working with Children Check, National Police Check, and DFFH Child Protection Record Check — all standard, and the WWCC is free for volunteer foster carers through Service Victoria), a GP medical, and a home safety inspection.

The home inspection isn't a white-glove clean — it checks that basic safety requirements are met: smoke alarms on every level, safe medication storage, hot water temperature, pool and spa barriers if applicable, and firearms storage compliance if anyone in the household holds a licence. It's checklist-based, not a judgment of your taste in furniture.

Step 6: Attend the Authorisation Panel

When your assessment is complete, the report goes to an Accreditation Panel. This typically includes your agency manager, a DFFH representative, and often an independent experienced carer. You'll usually be invited to attend and speak briefly to your motivations.

The panel can:

• Approve you fully
• Approve with conditions (e.g., limiting to specific age groups or placement types while you build experience)
• Defer for additional information

Most applicants who reach the panel are approved. The assessment process is designed to identify and address concerns well before it reaches that stage.

Step 7: Receive Your First Placement Call

After authorisation, you're placed on the Carer Register. Your agency will begin contacting you when potential matches arise. You'll be given a brief description of the child's situation and asked if you're available. You can accept or decline — there's no obligation.

From your first placement, you'll have a support worker at the agency and a DFFH case manager handling the legal aspects of the case. The Care Team model means you'll attend regular meetings to review the child's Care and Placement Plan.

Your accreditation is reviewed annually, involving a home visit and an interview. It's not an exam — it's a check that things are going well and that your household circumstances haven't changed significantly.

The process is demanding, but carers who go in with a clear picture of what's coming are significantly more likely to stay in the system and make a lasting difference. If you want a complete guide — including the life story document, what the accreditation panel is actually looking for, and how to position yourself for the kinds of placements you want — the Victoria Foster Care Guide covers all of it.

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