To view information on Coronavirus COVID-19 click here.

Prospective & New Families

PCA Families is not-for-profit member-based organisation representing families formed by permanent care, kinship care, and adoption in Victoria.  We are not a placement organisation and therefore we are not involved in the process of assessing prospective permanent care and adoptive families or placing children with families. See our Membership flyer to learn more about all the ways in which we can help here.

Welcome Membership JPEG 1   Welcome Membership JPEG 2

Prospective Parents and Carers

Photo Community Garden

If you are a prospective parent or carer, there are a few pathways to becoming a parent or carer (see below).

There are also some things you can do to get organised before your care order is finalised. 

The list below represents a collection of knowledge gained from supporting other parents and carers.

 You should consider these matters before you finalise an order to care for a child:

  • negotiate your care allowance BEFORE the order is finalised (payment drops to level 1 automatically unless specifically negotiated BEFORE the order is finalised)
  • year 1 financial plan for flexible funding support from Department of Families Fairness and Housing agreed and documented (PCA Families Flexible Funding is only available after 12 months on an order. Unless new circumstances arise, flexible funding wont be available until after that 12 months)
  • medicare card
  • passport or passports (it is not a requirement for children transitioning into care to have a passport so it is important to discuss this early and to gather a birth certificate and evidence of citizenship when an order is made so that an application for a passport can be made)
  • birth certificate and evidence of citizenship (if passport needed or NDIS in future)
  • health care card
  • consider birth family contact type and frequency (including birth parents, siblings or other signficant persons) and how that best works in your day to day life
  • child protection history detailed and documented for life story work before an order is in place, while Child Protection Practitioners are still involved and can access information (previous carers, pictures, contacts, places of residence, schools, family members names and medical history, and any other relevant information that can help explain why things happened and in what order)
  • ATSI assessment for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children.

New Parents or Carers

Photo Adoption

If you are a new parent or carer, we can help you in many ways, from joining a peer support group to accessing funding for a variety of supports and services.

If you are a new parent or carer, we can help you:

  • become a member of PCA Families so we can send your regular updates and information. See here.
  • join one of our peer support groups where you can share and benefit from others lived experiences. See our peer support information here and our events page here.
  • see our flexible funding page to find out more about how we can support you and your family here.
  • review our selection of resources we have on our Youtube Channel here or on our External Resources link here.
  • find out how PCA Families have benefitted other parents and carers by watching this video (32 to 40 minutes) here.
  • see additional resources and links on our parents and carers page here
  • if you have other questions, we are help to help so please contact us.

Pathways to care for a child

Families can be formed through:

Where to find more information

Peer support

Did you know that prospective parents and carers are welcome to join PCA Families peer support program? It’s a great opportunity to learn firsthand from peers who have lived experience of permanent care and adoption, and to share your experiences with others who are going through the same process. Find out more.

Login

03 9020 1833