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Prospective & New Families

PCA Families is not-for-profit member-based organisation representing families formed by permanent care, kinship care, and adoption in Victoria.  We are not a placement organisation and therefore we are not involved in the process of assessing prospective permanent care and adoptive families or placing children with families. See our Membership flyer to learn more about all the ways in which we can help here.

Welcome Membership JPEG 1   Welcome Membership JPEG 2

If you are a prospective parent or carer, there are a few pathways to becoming a parent or carer (see below).

There are also some things you can do to get organised before your care order is finalised:

  • negotiate your care allowance BEFORE the order is finalised (payment drops to level 1 automatically unless specifically negotiated BEFORE the order is finalised)
  • medicare card
  • passport or passports
  • birth certificate
  • health care card
  • birth family contact type and frequency agreement
  • child protection history detailed and documented for life story work (previous carers, pictures, contacts, places of residence, schools, family members names and medical history, and any other relevant information that can help explain why things happened and in what order)
  • ATSI assessment
  • year 1 financial plan for flexible funding support from Department of Families Fairness and Housing agreed and documented (PCA Families Flexible Funding is only available after 12 months on an order. Unless new circumstances arise, flexible funding wont be available until after that 12 months).

 If you are a new parent or carer, we can help you:

  • become a member of PCA Families so we can send your regular updates and information. See here.
  • join one of our peer support groups where you can share and benefit from others lived experiences. See our peer support information here and our events page here.
  • see our flexible funding page to find out more about how we can support you and your family here.
  • review our selection of resources we have on our Youtube Channel here or on our External Resources link here.
  • find out how PCA Families have benefitted other parents and carers by watching this video (32 to 40 minutes) here.
  • see additional resources and links on our parents and carers page here
  • if you have other questions, we are help to help so please contact us.

Pathways to care for a child

Families can be formed through:

Where to find more information

Peer support

Did you know that prospective parents and carers are welcome to join PCA Families peer support program? It’s a great opportunity to learn firsthand from peers who have lived experience of permanent care and adoption, and to share your experiences with others who are going through the same process. Find out more.