Faces of Baptcare: Stephanie Gonsalves

What is your current role and what does it involve day to day? 

I am Operations Manager, Community Services Victoria. This involves providing support to a range of different programs to support our community. That might be sharing tips and tricks to solve problems, connecting great minds to collaborate on ideas, ensuring we are delivering quality services to the people we serve and celebrating the wins!  

How long have you been working at Baptcare, and what do you like about it? 

I’ve been at Baptcare for two-and-a-half years and I love that mission and values are so alive in our everyday work. The values are at the core of every decision, strategy and plan that we create and are central to our engagement with staff and community.   

What sort of people make good foster carers? 

A good listener. A great learner. A patient, consistent advocate that is able to share kindness and empathy with children in need. 

How does Baptcare support foster carers? 

Baptcare supports foster carers with an ear to bend and a shoulder to rest on. We support our carers to have someone to turn to at all times, with 24/7 on call support. We have a team of passionate and knowledgeable staff to assist in navigating the onboarding/first placement process. Our workers look after their needs and questions, offering learning and development to bolster carer confidence and security.  

If someone was curious about getting involved in foster care, what would you say to them? 

If you have space and care to give – please reach out to us for a chat! Spend time with our team getting to know your options and avenues of support. There is no wrong door on this journey. Let us walk this path with you.  

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

A psychologist. I always had a curious interest in human behaviour and lending a helping hand to anyone going through a hard time or even having a bad day. 

Can you tell us two surprising things about yourself? 

I was a swim teacher for five years (always loved working with kids!) and I love to sing (doesn’t mean I sing very well!) 

Do you have a favourite quote or motto in life? 

“Keep your face toward the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you.” 

Please complete this question: my favourite weekend would include… 

Going to the gym, cooking a feast for the family, sweet treats and sunshine!

What is something on your bucket list? 

Running a half marathon!

If you could sit next to someone at a dinner party, who would it be and why? 

Dr Mamie Phipps Clark was a groundbreaking psychologist specialising in developmental psychology and self-esteem. I’d love to have dinner with her to learn more around her creative and curious process, how she stayed motivated in her advocacy for equality, for children to be safe at school and promoted learning throughout her life!