Journey with Teens in Care to Reclaim their Future

Mercy Community is searching for people who want to be part of giving young people in foster care a chance to reclaim their future.

Many teens requiring foster care have experienced varying degrees of trauma, neglect, and/or abuse prior to entering into care, along with the loss and separation from their birth family.

Such suffering in early developmental years can bear significant impact on their future physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

CEO of Mercy Community Elaine De Vos said it’s time for the community to rally together and give teenagers in foster care stability and hope.

“At Mercy Community, we are passionate about partnering with people in the community to empower teens and show them that their past experiences should in no way define their future.”

“We are on the look-out for like-minded people who understand how important it is for teens to have positive, consistent role models throughout their impressionable adolescent years,” Ms De Vos said.

“It’s not about whether you have previous foster care experience, whether you are married or single, have four children or none, live in a mansion or a unit, are retired or just out of university.

“Becoming a foster carer is about giving our young people a chance to reach their full potential – a chance to adjust their perspective on life and reclaim their future.

“Many people associate foster care with young infants or toddlers and so often we see adolescents left on the outskirts of compassion.

“Mercy Community is committed to upholding the dignity of every human person, and young people in foster care are no exception,” she said.

Regional Director Families and Young People Services Martin Greller said the team at Mercy Community offers continuous guidance and support to its foster carers.

“We understand that raising teenagers can be challenging – particularly those who have experienced significant trauma so early in their lives – but Mercy Community genuinely partners with our carers and is there for them every step of the way,” Mr Greller said.

“We recognise that each carer requires different types and levels of assistance and training, and we are committed to tailoring the support we provide in order to meet their individual needs.

“Adolescent years are renowned for being some of the toughest, most impressionable and isolated years of our lives.

“But when you add in the unspeakable trauma and hurt many of the young people have endured prior to their time in foster care, it’s hard to imagine the sense of uncertainty they must face about their future.

“As a foster carer, you have the opportunity to journey alongside a teen, support them to take positive steps forward, and play a role in the process of turning heartbreak and hurt into hope and healing – the way I see it, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime.

“If you would like to be part of something bigger we would love to hear from you, because together, we have the power to defy the statistics and reclaim a young person’s future,” he said.

Mercy Community provides foster and kinship care services for children of all ages in Caboolture, Brisbane, Beaudesert, Logan, Redlands, Greater Ipswich, Toowoomba and the Southern Downs.