by Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Keysborough ‘hub home’ is said to “rewrite the way” that foster and kinship care families are supported.
Youth homelessness charity Lighthouse Foundation officially opened the warm, inviting house last month.
It’s designed as an extra support for foster and kinship carers, offering children overnight stays to give carers a break “without delay”.
It also offers therapy and training as well as help with school drop-offs and grocery shopping.
Lighthouse chief executive Eamonn McCarthy said extra support was needed in a system that struggled to retain carers of vulnerable children.
“This model, unique to Lighthouse, is rewriting the way foster families and kinship care families are supported,” Dr McCarthy said.
“Providing adequate support is the key to preventing foster carer burnout, and frequent placement breakdown – which further traumatises the child.
“Foster families and kinship care families need respite overnight stays that are freely available, with trusted carers, known well by the child.
“They also need advice and help that is freely available – and in their neighbourhood.”
Dubbed the “Southern hub home”, it is also a place to mingle with other foster families and share experiences.
Among the guests of the opening was the home’s donor Leonie van Raay.
“I am proud to step up to help this Lighthouse program that is proving there’s a better way to care for our most vulnerable children.
“All children need to be connected and protected within a loving community. They deserve my support and all of our support.
“This home is going to be a place to help these children thrive for many years to come.”
Dr McCarthy said the need for foster carers was a “fairly obvious one”.
“For those children who unfortunately can’t reside in family care, their best hope if there’s no other family available is to try to replicate a family home as much as possible.
“In Victoria over the years the presentation of children requiring foster care has become considerably more complex.
“So some of the challenges historically seen in kids 15, 16, 17 years old are now being seen in children as young as seven, eight, nine.”
The home is Lighthouse’s second such hub, following the opening of a similar residence in Melbourne’s north three years ago.
It was acquired, furnished and styled thanks to an array of charities, philanthropists and corporate partners such as GlobeWest and T-House.
