They cover the Sydney Metropolitan area, Central and South Coast and the ACT and surrounding areas.

Find-a-Family (FAF) offers adoption and permanent family care to children who have been removed from their birth families by the Court because it is not safe for them to remain at home. Find-a-Family has a strong permanency planning focus, but there is also an emphasis on maintaining birth family relationships which are important to children in care.

The underlying principles of Barnardos' Find-a-Family program are that a secure family environment provides best for the needs of the child. In addition, children require stability in a placement with the same carers to develop to their full potential and to establish relationships based on trust. The first priority of Barnardos is always to provide for the needs of the child.

Find-a-Family deal only with children between 2-12 years who have been permanently removed from their birth families. The program specialises in finding successful placements for "hard-to-place" children, large sibling groups and children with specific cultural requirements.

Canberra FAF includes a wider range of children some of whom will be restored to their natural families.

Barnardos attributes our 90% success rate with long-term care placements to the careful matching of individual children with a particular carer. Matched Placements, along with Barnardos’ monitoring and carer support and training programs, ensure that the placement has the best chance of success. Respite Care programs provide regular relief to carers and Bridging Placements ensure that a child receives good temporary care whilst they wait for a suitable long-term carer or family to be found.

Barnardos’ innovative LAC (Looking After Children) program ensures continuity and stability for a child during bridging and temporary placements.

Carers receive a formal introductory training program, and ongoing professional training and support. Carers can be single, families or couples, but previous experience in child-rearing is very useful.

All carers are assessed and matched by Barnardos welfare workers, and undergo extensive interview, background and police checks and training.

Caring Options

Adoption is the legal process where the new parent or parents take on all the rights and responsibilities of the birth parents. Adoption is a very successful outcome for many children who have been permanently removed from their birth family. Adoption provides a crucial sense of reassurance, permanency and belonging to a child which enables them to begin the slow healing process from the trauma of separation, abuse and neglect within a safe and nurturing family environment.