Liverpool foster carers Jane and Tony McCartan to close door on inspiring fostering career

After 40 years of dedicating their lives to fostering hundreds of children with disabilities, a beloved southwest Sydney couple has decided to call time on an “incredible” chapter.

Tony and Jane McCartan said their experience fostering hundreds of children has been "rewarding".

After 40 years of dedicating their lives to fostering hundreds of children with disabilities, the beloved Liverpool couple has decided to call time on an “incredible” chapter in their lives..

Jane and Tony McCartan, now in their 70s, have been the driving force behind nurturing countless foster children in southwest Sydney while raising a family of their own.

The McCartans arrived in Australia from Ireland in the 1970s with their son David, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and intended to travel the world.

But Mrs McCartan said the couple, now married for more than 50 years, accidentally stumbled upon fostering after a chance encounter with some ladies at church.

“I’ve always loved kids and one of the women said there was a mum from South America with a little girl who needed help and it all started from there,” she said.

Tony and Jane McCartan said their experience fostering hundreds of children has been "rewarding".

“Our life of fostering has been so rewarding yet it was not what we first envisioned, we thought we’d only be in Australia for two years and have a life of travelling but we went down a different path,” she said.

Mrs McCartan and her husband’s family slowly grew after giving birth to her children Daniel and Elizabeth before adopting Megan and Joey, who were diagnosed with Down syndrome and Michael, who lived with cerebral palsy.

“Back in the day you were told if your baby had special needs your life was ruined but it’s been the most rewarding life I would ever ask for,” she said.

“So because we worked with special needs all our lives, I just had more experience and I would get offered the little ones who had special needs and needed a loving home.”

Mrs McCartan said the most rewarding experience of fostering hundreds of children was witnessing them start their own families.

“I remember having one little boy who went back to his mother and she put herself through college and now her son is grown up, married with kids and is a top ski instructor,” she said.

Tony and Jane McCartan have been fostering children in southwest Sydney for the past 40 years.

“It’s wonderful keeping in touch with them, it’s beautiful to see them living their lives.”

Mrs McCartan said they’ll now only commit to emergency foster care because there’s a shortage of carers with 15,000 children and young people in NSW in the child protection system.

“There’s thousands of kids in need of foster care at the moment and you have workers staying in hotels with the children,” she said.

“It may seem daunting to foster a child but if you have a commitment to the child you advocate for them and can provide them with a safe home.”

Auditory verbal therapist with NextSense, Andrew Kendrick, who worked closely with the McCartan’s for the past five years and said the couple was “one of a kind”.

“I’ve never seen another couple like them as giving and as loving and as genuine people,” he said.

“Jane and Tony want the best for the children … some of the kids who may be on the autism spectrum, they just want them to have the best quality life.”