Leading child and disability welfare charity CASPA is calling for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to “Join the Village” by opening their hearts and their homes to a child in need.
The organisation has launched a bold new campaign Love Comes in all Shapes and Sizes – So does Family, which aims to recruit people from this under-represented demographic, while also tackling Australia’s chronic shortage of foster carers.
Nationwide, there are more than 46,000 children in out-of-home care - a jump of more than seven per cent since 2017, according to Commonwealth figures.
At the same time, the number of active foster care households with placements is declining, with just 9,022 active homes in the latest reporting period between 2020-21.
Meanwhile, the rise in the number of children identifying as LGBTQIA+ in Australia is growing, which means there is also greater need for foster carers who understand what they are experiencing.
Currently, CASPA has 20 LGBTQIA+ carers across 11 different households, which make up just 6 per cent of its total number of carers.
CASPA CEO Naarah Rodwell said the campaign marked a significant step forward in foster care recruitment.
She said: "We are incredibly proud to launch this campaign. LGBTQIA+ youth in the foster care system deserve safe and affirming homes where they can thrive.
“By recruiting foster carers from the LGBTQIA+ community, we hope to provide these young people with the support and understanding they need.
“Children in the foster care system often carry feelings of rejection and isolation. For LGBTQIA+ youth, these experiences can be even more pronounced if they don’t have carers who understand their journey.
"It is a significant step forward in ensuring that all young people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have the opportunity to grow up in loving and supportive environments.
“It’s about showing these young people that they belong, just as they are.”
Love Comes in All Shapes and Sizes – So does Family forms part of the wider CASPA recruitment drive, Join the Village, which seeks to encourage more people to consider becoming a foster carer, including those who can only offer part-time, or respite, care stepping in to support as extended family would in a family unit.
Ms Rodwell said: “There is not just one way to be a carer or show up for a child in care. Flexible care arrangements can be organised to suit your lifestyle. By joining the CASPA village as a respite carer, standing in for an aunt or uncle figure, for example, you can still be part of a vulnerable child’s support system.
“Respite carers expand a child’s circle of security and provide additional healthy relationships that foster a sense of belonging, trust, and stability. These connections can have a profound impact on a child’s development and future.
“Our community is rich in diversity, and we believe our foster carers should be too.
“Fostering is an opportunity to make a profound difference, and opening your home to a child in need is a powerful act of love and compassion.
“We invite individuals and families from all backgrounds to consider becoming foster carers.
“Every child deserves a safe and loving home, and diversity in our foster carers can bring unique strengths and perspectives to support these children.
“At CASPA, there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ carer. You don’t have to be married, have children or own your home. However, patience, energy and an open heart go a long way towards helping care for a child.”
For Danni and her wife Roxy, from the Northern Rivers area of NSW, becoming foster parents has been an incredible journey of love, resilience, and mutual support.
Although initially concerned that being gay would affect their chances of fostering, the couple were welcomed into the CASPA village and began caring for a 15-month-old little girl.
Danni said: “It started with us discussing what we wanted our family to look like and what family meant to us, particularly as queer women who can’t very easily make a baby together.
“We were really looking at if we couldn’t make a family in that traditional sense then how did we want that to look.
“Not only are we both queer, but I also have a dynamic disability that affects my movement, so we were looking for an agency that would support our identities in both of these spaces and CASPA was the one that fit best.
“The organisation welcomed us wholeheartedly. They saw our differences not as barriers, but as strengths that could help us connect with children who might feel like they don’t fit in themselves.”
When it came to fostering, the couple never set out to have a child of their own. Instead, they wanted to care for a child in a way that would preserve and strengthen the ties with the biological family.
They call themselves ‘community aunties,’ on hand to support the whole family, even after a child leaves their home.
Prior to becoming foster carers, the couple took a trauma informed training program through CASPA.
“We very much put emotional safety at the forefront of what we were doing,” said Danni.
“When we started with CASPA we felt heard, seen and connected straight away.
“I can’t think of a more rewarding parenting journey. We have a whole village around us – the case and support workers, our friends and family, as well as her biological family.
“It’s definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding.”
After two-and-a-half years as part of Danni and Roxy’s family, the little girl returned home to her biological family. The couple continues to be part of her extended family, with frequent visits, shared recipes, and goodnight video calls.
“I miss her every day, but she is where she’s meant to be,” Danni said.
“We’re still here, a part of her life, watching her grow.”
Roxy said she would recommend fostering through CASPA.
“There’s a very inclusive culture at CASPA, which we love,” she said.
“Fostering has been a wonderful experience for us. We feel really blessed to have the little one and her family in our lives.”
To find out more about becoming a foster carer please visit www.caspa.org.au/become-a-carer
Article released 31 January 2025