More than 13,000 children are currently in out of home care across Victoria.
These children are provided with a safe and nurturing home to grow and thrive.
Unfortunately, the demand for care exceeds the availability of carers which means every night there are children in our local community who do not have a place to call home.
How will my donation help Foster Carers and children in care?
By donating to the Foster a Future Appeal, you will be supporting Meli’s Foster Carers and brightening the lives of children living in out of home care. Below is a list of how funds will be utilised to make a tangible difference:
$50
would buy two fire blankets for new foster care households
$100
would provide food vouchers for children who are going into emergency care
$300
would allow us to host an outing/experience for children and teens in care
$500
would help provide some respite for our kind and selfless carers
At Meli, we receive three referrals per day to place children and young people with a Foster Carer.
Sadly, approximately half of these requests cannot be met due to insufficient carers in the Barwon region.
We realise not everyone can commit to being a Foster Carer. But through our annual Foster a Future Appeal during the month of September, we can all support the wonderful work of Foster Carers and contribute to the wellbeing of children in care.
It takes a village to raise a child and at Meli, we believe we can all play a role in strengthening our community.
There are 14,000 children and young people currently in foster care homes in Victoria, and this number continues to grow.
The most common reasons for children needing foster care are emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse.
Victoria could have 27,500 children in out-of-home care by 2026. This is more than any other Australian state or territory.
Foster Carers can make a difference in many ways by providing long-term care, emergency care, short-term care or respite care.
Interested in becoming a Foster Carer?
If you would like to learn more about our Foster Care programs and explore opening your home and your heart to a child in need of care, please contact us on 03 5226 8900 or complete an enquiry form via the link below.
Donate to Foster Care families
Not everyone can commit to being a Foster Carer but by making a one off or regular donation to Foster a Future, you are in effect giving the gift of a home for a young person in need. If you would like to brighten the life of a Foster Care family, please click the button below and select ‘Foster a Future’ on the Donations form.“We love it – it’s not just that we’re giving the kids this amazing experience, but we get so much out of it as well,” Sharon said.
“It’s really rewarding to know we had a real impact on their life, even if it was for a short period of time,” Carly said.
Sharon & Carly share their story as Foster Carers
Married couple, Sharon and Carly, had both longed to make a difference with young people. Now, as Foster Carers with Meli, every day brings them a new opportunity to do just that. Initially thinking they couldn’t commit due to full time work commitments, they quickly realised foster care comes in many forms and have now been emergency, respite and short-term carers to children for the last four years.
After experiencing foster care as a young person, Sharon wanted to provide a positive experience for others, so she became a foster carer four years ago. For Carly, it was the desire to give back to children who may not have been as fortunate as she was during her childhood.
Find out more about foster careFoster Care Children’s Village
The Foster Care Children’s Village Project is a two-year pilot program funded through the Anthony Costa Foundation. It is aimed at enhancing the experience of vulnerable children and young people in Meli’s Out of Home Care program by building a support network for Foster Carer families through the engagement of dedicated volunteers who will provide practical support to children and their carers such as mentoring, assisting with transportation to school, extracurricular activities and childminding.
Find out more
If you want to know more about how your business or organisation can support the appeal, email donations@meli.org.au.
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