Proudly administered by CF&KC-SA
E - carercouncil@cfc-sa.org.au
W - www.cfc-sa.org.au/carer-council
Freecall 1800 732 272
September 2023
Carer Council Expressions of Interest (EOIs) now open
We are pleased to announce that Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to join the State Government's Carer Council are now open
Creating the Carer Council was a key recommendation of Dr Fiona Arney to amplify the voices of carers and provide the Minister for Child Protection, Katrine Hildyard, with independent advice that contributes to the design of policy, practice and reform surrounding foster and kinship care in South Australia. The 12-person Council is an opportunity to ensure SA's Foster and Kinship Carer community is heard. As such the Carer Council composition is as follows:
- 5 foster carer members
- 7 kinship carer members
Of the 12 Carer Council members, carers will be appointed to represent metropolitan, regional and First Nations.
We welcome EOIs from active carers, with lived experience as a family based carer, from metropolitan and regional areas and include members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Expressions of Interest will close at 5pm, Monday 16 October 2023.
Click here to access the Role Description
Click here to access the Expression of Interest (EOI) form
Key Dates
Carer Council Expressions of Interest (EOI) timeline:
- Monday 18 September – EOIs open for Carer Council positions
- Monday 16 October – EOIs close at 5pm
- Monday 6 November – successful candidates notified
Carer Council meeting dates:
- Friday 1st December 2023
- Tuesday 5 March 2024
- Tuesday 4 June 2024
- Tuesday 17 September 2024
Meetings will be held during the day, preferably during school hours
Announcement of the Facilitator for Carer Council meetings
Dana Shen will oversee and facilitate the Carer Council, bringing with her more than 20 years of experience across health, families and child protection with public and not-for-profit organisations, where she delivered programs and developed policy to create better outcomes for the community.
Dana’s expert facilitation skills and ability to lead complex conversations whilst ensuring frank and full engagement will provide a strong foundation for the Carer Council to support the Minister and impact long-lasting change for the carer community.
“Dana is excited to join the Carer Council and is ready to guide the important conversations that will emerge from each session and provide tangible, constructive advice for the Minister to consider"
Appointment of the Carer Council Project Lead
Lauren Gibbs will join CF&KC-SA as Project Lead to plan, organise and oversee the Carer Council. Bringing lived experience as a foster carer to the role, Lauren has also worked as a legal practitioner for the Legal Services Commission and we look forward to Lauren commencing in early October.
July 2023
Carer Council Project Lead recruitment
We have been in close discussions with the Minister on next steps and we are pleased to advise applications are now open for the position of the Carer Council Project Lead (previously referred to as an Administrator/Coordinator).
The Project Lead will be responsible for establishing and overseeing the Minister-appointed Carer Council. This role requires a passionate, committed and organised team player to provide ongoing strategic and operational support to the Council.
The successful candidate would have previous experience in a similar role, demonstrated knowledge of the social and legal issues relating to foster and kinship care and be able to communicate confidently with all stakeholders, including SA family-based Carers, child protection agencies and Ministerial staff.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are encouraged to apply.
Further information and a copy of the Job Description is available – click here
Applications are invited by Friday 28th July via SEEK – click here
In late July/early August we will commence the expression of interest (EOI) process to join the Carer Council. Further details about the EOI process will be announced at that time.
Carer Council Q&A
For further information about the Carer Council, please review our Carer Council Q&A sheet (updated 12/7/23) – click here.
For any other enquiries please email us on carercouncil@cfc-sa.org.au
May 2023
New Carer Council to provide advice to the Minister for Child Protection (May
Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers SA will administer the new Carer Council at the invitation of the Minister for Child Protection, The Honorable Katrine Hildyard. To read the media release – please click here.
The Carer Council was a key recommendation from Dr Fiona Arney’s Independent Inquiry into Foster and Kinship Care, and will provide a dedicated platform for the Carer voice to be heard by State government on issues crucial to improving the child protection system and the rights of Carers.
The Carer Council will consist of 12 current, approved Carers appointed by the Minister for Child Protection, at her absolute discretion. We have been advised that to ensure true representation, kinship and foster carers from both metropolitan and regional areas, along with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Carers, will be appointed to the Council. The Council will meet at least four times annually to discuss key issues, to be determined by the Council, and will report directly to the Minister.
We are thrilled to take carriage of this rare opportunity to mobilise the Carer voice with a view to improve policy, practice and legislation. Although the exact details of our role in administering the Carer Council and the processes to be adopted to bring it together are still being refined, it is intended that we will assist in the administration of recruiting carers and then to arrange and facilitate the meeting of the Carer Council. In order to do that, it is necessary for us to recruit a Project Lead for the Carer Council, which is currently in progress.
Enquiries may be directed to: carercouncil@cfc-sa.org.au
Whilst the enquiries email will be monitored, we ask for your patience in dealing with each of the enquiries as we undertake recruitment and until the details are determined.
Best wishes,
Fiona Endacott
Chief Executive Officer