The NSW Government is employing 300 new workers to support foster children to stay connected to their families and keep them safe.  

Family time, or family visits between children in foster care and their birth families, often requires support and supervision by trained staff.  Until now, this support has predominantly been outsourced to private service providers and cost the taxpayer $14.2 million in 2023/24.  

As part of the State Government’s ongoing reform of the foster care system, the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) will now directly employ up to 300 family-time workers. 

The expansion of family time workers will improve support for children and their families through: 

• increased consistency in staff training 
• more support for positive interactions during family time  
• recruiting 20% of specialist staff who identify as Aboriginal to increase culturally appropriate assistance based on a family’s culture and needs  
• strengthening relationships between DCJ, families and children through consistent staffing 

The expansion of this service will also provide more opportunities for parents to build their skills and confidence in raising their kids, helping to show they can care for them safely. As trust and safety are established, contact could become more frequent and less supervised, which may also lead to a decision to restore the child to their family through the Children’s Court.

Last week, the Minns Labor Government released the ‘System review into out-of-home care,’ which examined the $2 billion outsourced foster care system. The review’s authors were often unable to follow the dollar to determine if taxpayer funds were being used to meaningfully support vulnerable children and young people. 

By directly employing family-time workers, the NSW Government is ensuring these workers are equipped to provide stronger support to foster children and their families. The decision is also responsive to the review's recommendation to embed relational approaches in out-of-home care services by ensuring the same workers are supporting the same families each time. 

DCJ has started recruiting for these roles across NSW in Sydney, Murrumbidgee, Western NSW and Far West. This will be followed by recruitment efforts in all other areas across the state next year.  

Family time workers will be supported by dedicated DCJ team leaders and provided with comprehensive training and guidelines to enable them to work with children and families.  

A 2022 research report about birth family contact in NSW found more than half of staff across NGOs and DCJ needed more training in supervising visits. The expansion of this service will allow the NSW Government to provide this training. 

Additionally, this expansion will increase opportunities for family time workers to become caseworkers and contribute towards decreasing staff vacancies across the state. 

For further information or to apply, please visit the family time worker website.  

Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said, “It is very important that children in care remain connected with their families where it's safe to do so. 

“Our goal is to do all we can to restore children to their families. Supervised family visits are an essential part of that process. 

“Directly employing family time workers is an important element of the Minns Labor Government’s sweeping reforms of the foster care system, aimed at improving outcomes for vulnerable children and reducing unnecessary costs. 

“We are entering a significant time of change so that we can make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families across NSW.” 

Mark Tinelt, Aboriginal Family Time Team Leader, said, “I am looking forward to my role as one of the newly appointed Aboriginal-identified family time team leaders. 

“This program is about re-creating relationships between children and parents, their supports, and, more importantly, the relationship between our mob in community and DCJ. 

“Over the next few years, we will be positioned in an extraordinarily unique space where Aboriginal People, working with DCJ, will be empowered to continue the stories of our old People, our song lines, our kinship connections and our cultural responsibilities by facilitating healing spaces for families and their supports.” 

Andrea Te Ua, Family Time Team Leader, said, “I have been a family time worker and worked with DCJ for 15 years. 

“Being a previous contact worker was a very rewarding experience. Family time workers play an important role in ensuring children in care are connected to their families and spend meaningful, quality time with them. 

“I am excited as a newly appointed family time team leader to lead family time workers to deliver quality and culturally appropriate family time services.”