Toowoomba carers call for more people to sign up and take on fostering

With foster carers in high demand across Toowoomba, one couple shares their story of how the simplest things can make a profound difference on the life of a child in need.

Karyn Rollins and Ron Humphries have years of experience fostering children in their home, and they’re encouraging others in Toowoomba to consider becomes carers. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Fifteen years ago, Karyn Rollins saw first-hand the difference a foster carer can make in the life of a child after her sister opened her home to kids in need.

Foster caring has now become an integral part of the lives of her and partner Ron Humphries, with the couple encouraging others in Toowoomba to sign up and become carers for foster children.

The appeal for more foster carers comes as data revealed that demand for care places was growing faster than carer numbers

In the past 12 months, the number of children in care in Toowoomba region grew from 656 to 667 – a 1.7 per cent increase,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs said.

“Over the same period, the number of carers in Toowoomba area decreased slightly by 1.8 per cent, from 330 to 324.”

Ms Rollins and Mr Humphries have been welcoming children into their home for more than 10 years and said there were so many kids who needed help, somewhere to go and someone to love them.

Karyn Rollins and Ron Humphries have had years of experience fostering children in their home. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“Foster kids have fed my passion to make sure they get the best of the best, that the system works for them,” Ms Rollins said.

“My sister was fostering, and I saw the need and the difference it would make, and I had the capacity to do it.

“Sometimes the simplest of things can make the biggest difference, and now 15 years after my first foster child it’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

Four years after taking in her first foster child, Ms Rollins met Mr Humphries. While he was initially apprehensive about becoming a foster carer, Mr Humphries said he saw the amazing difference Ms Rollins was making in children’s lives, and he was inspired to get involved.

“When I had my initial interview, the first question they asked was ‘why do you want to become a foster carer?’ And I remember to this day what I said,” he said.

“‘Because every child deserves a chance — a chance at education, a roof over their heads, clothes on their back, shoes on their feet and food in their belly. It’s something I had all my life — so it was a given for me — but stepping into this world, not every child has that.”

Ms Rollins said fostering children had been a life changing experience for her and encouraged anyone interested in fostering to give it a go.

“The kids come and teach you so much more about life and yourself than you could learn from any self help class or meditation you can imagine,” she said.

“The process may be daunting and there might be concerns about the kids and what’s going to happen to them, but there’s plenty of support people from the Department (of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs).

Ron Humphries and Karyn Rollins have years of experience fostering children in their home. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“There’s always more training that you can do, speak to people who’ve done it before and they can give you some great tips. It’s your friends, your family, you know, there’s a social network out there that you can use for support and learning.”

Visit www.qld.gov.au/fostercare to view the foster carer stories, learn more about foster care and to submit an expression of interest. To speak to someone about foster care, call Queensland Foster and Kinship Care on 1300 550 877.

Originally published as Toowoomba carers call for more people to sign up and take on fostering