Home Based Care

Baptcare offers various forms of home-based care including foster care, kinship care, transport services for foster care children and visiting services for vulnerable families with children under five.

Foster Care

Woman and boyFoster Care is temporary care provided for children and young people by approved volunteer caregivers, when the child’s family is not able to look after them.

When children are unable to live at home for various reasons, the first choice of placement is with relatives or someone they know. When this isn't possible these children rely on individuals and families to open their hearts and their homes.

The length of care varies from child to child and may be needed at a time of family crisis or when there are issues of child protection. Baptcare urgently needs foster carers to provide a happy, safe and secure home for children in Melbourne's West. Carers are needed for:

  • Emergency Care
    For children who need foster care when a family faces a crisis and there are no friends or relatives to provide care during that time.
  • Respite Care
    For children to stay with the same caregiver on a regular basis to provide parents with planned breaks.
  • Statutory Care
    For children in ‘at risk’ situations awaiting a decision from the Children's Court or Protective Services’ concerning their future.
  • Long Term Care
    For children who cannot return home and are awaiting a permanent placement, or for children whose family cannot resolve their situation in a short period of time.
  • Shared Family Care
    For children with a developmental delay and/or intellectual disability, whose families need some time out from the additional responsibility of caring for their child.

Find out more about Foster Care

Kinship Care

Kinship Care aims to keep children with their extended family or significant others while they cannot be at home.

Foster Care Transport Services

A transport support service that enables children in foster care to have family access visits, as well as allowing the child to continue at their own school and maintain their normal social contacts during this time.

Home-Start

Through the Home-Start program, trained volunteers visit families with children under five in their own home to offer regular support, friendship and practical help. The program works with families who are experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including social isolation and depression, and can help prevent family crisis and breakdown.

Volunteers are carefully matched to a family and are needed to:

  • provide emotional support and friendship;
  • provide parenting strategies to a new mum or dad;
  • entertain children;
  • and transport families to appointments.

Download the Home-Start brochure for Melbourne's North and West  (PDF, 300kb)

Download the Home Start brochure for Bendigo (PDF, 280kb)

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer or home-start volunteer call 93733800 or send an email to familyservices@baptcare.org.au.

Abercare's home-based care

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