Welcome to the first video for Parenting and Caring. In this video we will learn about the types of parents and

carers. We start off by looking at why people become parents or carers.

Although both parents and carers create nurturing environments, unique to the needs of the people they look

after, there are distinct differences in their roles.

Parents raise their children, encouraging the development of social, emotional and cognitive skills within a

family unit and the larger community. Carers provide support, supervision and assistance to individuals

whose needs cannot be met independently. Parenthood is always a social, informal role, but caring for others

encompasses both formal and informal support and, for some people, is a professional vocation.

Lets now have a look at the types of parents and carers.

Both parents and carers are responsible for the needs of people who are dependent on them.

Parenthood is classified as either biological, meaning parent and child are genetically linked, or social,

meaning that the parenting role has been adopted through adoption, surrogacy, fostering or marriage. Both

types of parents share the same responsibilities; providing love, emotional care, and support as well as

seeing to the physical needs of their children.

Carers provide ongoing, full-time support to people who are unable to care for themselves.

Biological parents supply the genetic materials needed to create a foetus, typically via sexual intercourse.

The development of Assisted Reproductive Technologies mean that procedures like In Vitro Fertilisation or

(IVF), Embryo Transfer, Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer and Artificial Insemination can also be used to

generate a foetus from biological materials.

Social parents do not share a genetic relationship with the child or children they are responsible for. There

are many avenues for individuals to become social parents. For example, some children are unable to live

with their birth families because death, abandonment, neglect, abuse or other risks, and must enter out-of-

home care. These children may be fostered or adopted by people who want to be parents.

V1 - TYPES OF PARENTS & CARERS

Adoption is a legal process which involves transferring the permanent care, legal rights and responsibilities

for a child from the birth parents, or the state, to an adoptive parent or parents who are deemed suitable.

Family and Community services is the agency that handles this procedure in NSW.

Adoptions may be open, meaning information is shared freely between the adoptive and birth families so that

the parents can maintain a relationship with their biological relatives, or closed, meaning the information is

sealed and confidential.

There are five categories of adoption and care:

• Local adoption which is Children aged from 0-2 years or Adoption is voluntary choice of birth parent(s)

• Permanent care which is when Family and Community services take responsibility for care of children

and the Birth family no longer able to care for children

• Out-of-home care adoption is another form. Following assessment it’s determined that children can no

longer remain in care of birth family and Authorised carers look after children

• Intercountry adoption which is when International adoption between Australia and a member country of

the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Inter country

Adoption

• Intrafamily adoption which is Children adopted by a relative or step-parent and is Also known as relative

or step-parent adoption

Over the last 25 years adoption rates in Australia have declined by 74%. According to Adoptions Australia

2015-2016 local adoptions accounted for 71% of all adoptions and they were open in 89% of cases.

Next we look at fostering.

Children are placed in foster care when their parent or parents are temporarily unable to care for them. For

example, children may require fostering if:

! They are at risk of harm

! Their physical, mental and emotional needs are not being met

! The home is unsafe due to domestic violence, abuse or addiction or

! Their parents are physically or mentally unwell, or incarcerated

Foster carers are authorised volunteers and receive a fortnightly allowance to help them provide the

necessary care for the children they look after.

Depending on the circumstances children may remain in foster care for several days or several years and

encompasses a range of care options including:

! Crisis care

! Respite care

! Short–medium care

! Long-term care or

! Relative or kinship care

When children are in foster care, their birth families are often encouraged to maintain contact. Ensuring that

children are placed locally and communicate regularly with their biological parent or parents can help their

mental and emotional wellbeing.

Next we look at step-parenting

An individual becomes a step-parent when they enter a de-facto relationship or are married to someone with

a child or children from a previous relationship. These family units may be referred to as blended families,

where both partners have children from previous relationships, or step-families, when only one partner has

children when the relationship is entered into.

Blended or step-families may follow divorce, separation or the death of a parent and may prove challenging

for both partners as they negotiate shared spaces and family responsibilities. It can take time for children to

bond with their step-parents, especially if they are older and parents must be patient as their children adapt

to the new family dynamic.

Now we will look at surrogacy

A surrogate is an individual who carries a child to term on behalf of another couple, typically using a foetus

created from their genetic materials and implanted using Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF. All

parties agree that the legal rights and responsibilities of the child will transferred to the couple after birth.

Surrogacy is an option for couples or individuals who are infertile or suffer from a serious medical condition,

which would make it dangerous or impossible for them become pregnant, carry a child to term or give birth.

In Australia a person cannot be paid for their surrogacy services, however, the couple will normally cover all

medical expenses. This is referred to as ‘altruistic surrogacy’, as the surrogate is not financially compensated

for the arrangement.

There are two types of surrogacy:

! Traditional: The child is biologically related to the surrogate but is conceived on behalf of another

couple who will adopt the child.

! Gestational: The surrogate has no genetic connection to the child as is impregnated with a fertilised

egg which they carry to term for the couple.

After the child is born the couple must file for adoption, following usual procedures and proving that they will

be suitable parents. The surrogate must also agree to legally relinquish their rights before the adoption can

be finalised.

Carers

Carers are people who provide voluntary or professional support and ongoing care for individuals who

require full-time or part-time assistance. There were over 2.7 million carers Australia wide or 11.6% of the

population in 2015 and more than half were women.

The first type of carer is a primary carer.

The person who provides the majority of informal assistance and support to a dependent with one or more

disabilities, of any age, is referred to as the ‘primary carer’. For this term to apply the main care provider

must have supplied ongoing physical and mental support to an individual, for longer than six months one for

one more of the following core activities:

! Communication

! Mobility

! Self-care

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2015 the average primary carer was 55 years old and

female. Moreover, 37.8% of primary carers suffered from one or more disabilities themselves. Due to the

nature of the commitment many primary carers are the partner or relation of the dependent.

There are over 850,000 young carers in Australia and many of them provide primary care for relatives with a

long term medical condition, mental illness, disability or addiction. This can have a significant effect on the

physical and emotional wellbeing of young people, who must balance school and work commitments with the

provision of care, which may include cooking, household duties, showering, dressing and other personal

assistance.

Next we look at informal carers

People who provide informal care are not paid for their services and are typically related to, or a close friend

or neighbour of, the dependent. Types of care can range from before and after school child care to disability

assistance.

Informal carers are also often primary care providers and their reasons for adopting this role include:

! Family responsibility

! Belief that the care they provide is better quality than alternatives

! A feeling emotional obligation

! Formal, professional care is to expensive

! No one else was available or there were

! No other options

Informal care can put a financial and emotional strain on families. A majority of carers, especially those who

are the primary care provider, earn significantly less than non-carers as they have difficulty finding and

maintaining employment; full-time care is exhausting work and very few workplaces offer the flexibility

needed by people who provide support and assistance to dependents. The challenge of caring for a child

with a chronic l illness or disability can cause tension in households, leading to separation or divorce, and

leaving a sole parent to provide the necessary support.

Finally we have formal carers

Trained care providers, who work for professional organisations or institutions and are paid for the care

services and support they provide, are classified as formal carers. Nurses, childcare workers, nannies,

teachers and doctors are all examples of formal care providers.