Do you have extra love to give?

HELPING care for a friend’s baby daughter made it crystal clear that Rebecca didn’t need a biological connection to feel love for a child.

Fast forward about two decades, and the Mount Gambier woman has swapped travelling the globe and engineering work to become a dedicated foster carer.

“My friend had a daughter after going into labour on her 21st birthday,” Rebecca says.

“I developed this amazing relationship with the little one, and I’d step in when she was struggling and try and get her to take a break.

“Through that process, I realised you don’t need biology to love a kid unconditionally. I loved that kid with all my soul. She was a really special part of who I am.”

The Department for Child Protection is sharing Rebecca’s story as part of Foster and Kinship Carer Week (14-20 September), which celebrates the vital role carers play in child protection.

Rebecca, 43, supported by foster care agency ac.care, now provides long-term care for two sisters aged six and eight.

She previously spent about six years as a respite carer – a role she took on through a desire to support children and families, rather than working her life away.

“I was working at the Coke factory (in Adelaide) and it was a 12-hour day, and I thought, ‘What’s the point – why am I spending my life making a multinational company more money? This is not what life’s about’.”

The engineer, who has travelled to 44 countries and spent about a year working in New Zealand before the pandemic hit, says life looks much different as a full-time carer.

“I was relatively organised and now I live in chaos … but being there for the children is what matters.”

Caring for children has always come naturally for Rebecca, who during her university years, worked in after school hours care and took vulnerable children on camps.

“It’s so amazing to be able to sink so much love into these children, who have so much anguish and fears, and see them develop these amazing personalities,” she says.

“You sacrifice a lot, but that love and trust from a child is worth gold. When they run to you and throw their arms around you and you realise they feel safe, that’s what life is about.”

Rebecca has cared for about 15 children in SA and Victoria, including recently, a baby who has now reunited with her family.

During Foster and Kinship Carer Week, DCP and its foster care agency partners are hosting about 20 events across the state to thank carers for opening up their hearts and homes to children.

For more information about foster care, head to fostercare.sa.gov.au