Anyone over the age of 21 is eligible to apply to become a foster carer in Victoria. What matters most is that you can create a safe and stable environment for children and young people in your community.  

Ballarat couple Megan and Chris have been fostering for the last five years after first becoming foster carers at ages 21 and 29. Together with their two dogs, one cat and their seven-month-old first child, they have shown that being in your twenties is no barrier to making an impact as foster carers.  

Tell us about yourselves... 

We are Megan and Chris, and we have been fostering children in the Ballarat area for the past five years.  We first became foster carers when I was 21 and my partner Chris was 29.  

Chris is a Triple Zero dispatcher, and I work in the construction industry. Together, we have had the privilege of fostering six children aged from 7 to 14 years with our local agency Cafs.  

How did your fostering journey begin? 

We knew people who had fostered before but hadn’t really considered it for ourselves. It was after seeing an advertisement on a bus that we realised it was something we might be interested in.  

We initially decided to go down to an information session just to find out what fostering was all about, with that idea that maybe we would apply a few years down the track. Once we attended the information session, we quickly realised the need for foster carers and understood the impact we could make, so decided that we wanted to begin the process right away.  

We are accredited to provide all types of foster care but now mainly provide respite care.  

As young foster carers, how did you develop your skills and knowledge to support children? 

When we started our fostering journey, we didn't know much but the training we received from our agency ensured that we didn’t go into fostering with rose coloured glasses and by the time we had our first placement we felt very prepared. 

A lot of our learning happened on the go and in those early days we had a lot of contact with our agency worker to help us navigate our new roles.  As new carers we knew we had the support of our agency and were able to a develop a strong understanding of how to support children who may experienced trauma. 

Our ability to provide foster care has also evolved as our confidence has grown. Initially we provided care for primary school aged children because as younger carers we felt it would be best to have a bigger age gap. With more experience under our belt we feel more confident working with children of all ages, including teenagers.  

What’s been the most rewarding part of fostering? 

We are both incredibly proud of our fostering journey and the impact we have been able to make.  

I often look back on moments we cherish the most. Some of them are big special moments like throwing a 10th birthday party, but often those big moments are trumped by the little moments  – like realising a child in your care trusts you enough to fall asleep on your arm when reading a book at night or having them reach out for a cuddle for the first time.  

We have had hard times along the way, but the long-term impact we have made far outweighs the challenges. We have no plans to stop caring anytime soon. 

What advice do you have for prospective foster carers? 

I often say that we fell into fostering, and then completely fell in love with it. If you have a stable home and want to make a difference in a child’s life, then give fostering a go. Fostering wasn’t something we had initially planned on doing but it has turned out to be the most amazing experience.  

Your fostering journey can be very fluid, and you often figure it out as you go, but know your agency is there to support you every step of the way. 

It is important to remember what fostering is all about; you are supporting little people who have experienced difficulties and providing them a safe and stable home for a period of their life.  

Interested in becoming a foster carer? 

Fostering Connections welcomes foster carers from all backgrounds and walks of life. If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer, call Fostering Connections on 1800 013 088 or enquire online.