Geelong foster care case worker encourages people to become foster carers

Tahlia Wilson-Hansen always knew she wanted to work with young people. Now she is helping some of the region’s most vulnerable.

Tahlia Wilson-Hansen always knew she wanted to work with young people.

The 29-year-old, who grew up on the Bellarine Peninsula, is now a case worker at Meli Foster Care in Geelong.

Ms Wilson-Hansen works with Meli’s carers and children in Meli’s care to ensure their needs are met.

She makes sure the children get to school, go to after school activities that interest them, and, most importantly, that they have somewhere safe to call home.

Ms Wilson-Hansen, who is also studying a Bachelor of Psychlogy at Deakin University, said she found working with young people rewarding.

“It’s sort of that sense of giving a little bit back to the world,” she said.

Ms Wilson-Hansen said she was passionate about ensuring young people were provided with the opportunities they all deserved.

She said it was important children in care had people advocating for them and listening to their care needs.

“A lot of the time we can be the only consistent person in their life,” Ms Wilson-Hansen said.

“I think that young people can be so vulnerable.”

Ms Wilson-Hansen commended foster carers and described the foster carers she worked with as “admirable and inspiring”.

“They’re opening their hearts and their homes,” she said.

Ms Wilson-Hansen said she would encourage everyone to consider becoming foster carers, and emphasised there were many different avenues with differing levels of commitment.

She said options included assisting for a couple of hours a fortnight, to a night or two of emergency care, to six months of short-term care, to long-term care beyond six months.

Ms Wilson-Hansen is a finalist in Foster Care Association Victoria’s commitment to supporting carers awards.

The award is based on exemplary support to the day-to-day lives of carers or exceptional support in exceptional circumstances.

Ms Wilson-Hansen was nominated for the award by two of the foster carers she supports in the Geelong region as their case worker.

The awards are part of this week’s Foster Care Week, which aims to raise awareness of foster care in the wider community and celebrate the contributions carers make to the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

Jo Dumesny, out of home care manager at Meli, said Ms Wilson-Hansen was a worthy finalist.

“Great Foster Carer support is vital in the Out of Home Care space,” Ms Dumesny said.

“They can sometimes be the difference between a positive and negative experience for

Foster Carers and the children and young people in their homes.

“The fact Tahlia was nominated by not just one, but two of her Foster Carers shows the

exemplary work that she does for her families every single day.”

Meli urgently needs foster carers. To find out about becoming a foster carer, contact Meli on 5226 8900 or visit www.meli.org.au/foster-care/.

Originally published as Geelong foster care case worker encourages people to become foster carers