Alex and Amy Scott always knew they wanted to foster children, it was just a matter of timing.
For Alex Scott, being a foster carer is more than just reaching out and providing a home for a lost soul; it’s a balancing act, a passion he shares with his wife Amy, and an opportunity to offer the same hope and love that was once given to him.
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Next week Alex and Amy, from Rutherglen, celebrate Foster Care Week with the rest of Victoria, having provided a welcoming home and loving family to their foster son, along with their two children.
Alex has come full circle in his foster care journey having been a foster child himself, and he said he was lucky to have stable parents for his time in care, who he now considers his mum and dad.
“I was in care from the age of 10,” Alex said.
“I was with one family for about three years, and then with a lady for about nine months, before I came to my foster parents, who I consider as my mum and dad; I lived with them until I moved out of home at 25.
“I remember being at school in grade four or five and got called up to the principal's office and I thought I'd done something wrong.
“Someone from the Department of Human Services was there and I was told I couldn’t stay with my mum anymore; it was very abrupt and you don't really know what's going on, you don't know whether you're going into care for a little while or for a long time.”
Alex and Amy were already raising two children of their own, and with his background as a foster child and her experience as a youth worker, they had always imagined foster care would one day be part of their family.
It wasn’t a question of if, but when.
Amy said her plan was always to foster, so when she and Alex met, it didn't even need to be a conversation.
“We both agreed that was what we were going to do,” Amy said.
“It was just picking the right time, and I think now we've got kids similar in age to our foster child, it just makes sense.
“We treat our foster child like one of our own children, and we work well as a team with our kids just as much as our foster child.
“It's not always easy, and we don't always get it perfectly right, but we do our absolute best to make sure our own biological children and our foster child are treated exactly the same.”
Peter Norris said it’s an amazing feeling knowing when kids he has fostered find their forever home.
Club Corowa chief executive, Peter Norris is also very familiar with the foster care system.
Peter was a state ward and in foster car from the age of 12 to 18; his story as the son of Australia’s most wanted bank robber is well known and ultimately led to him being placed in foster care.
He said having a family that cared enough to invest in routine and all the little things that most families take for granted made foster care an overwhelmingly positive experience for him.
“I stepped into a family that had six of their own biological children,” Peter said.
“After some years of turmoil and coming in and out of institutions, to get a stable home was life changing.
“They got me back into routine and back to school, introduced me to sport, and all the things that most kids and families take for granted.
“These are the things you don't get until you get introduced to a good foster family; it was amazing for me.”
Peter is now a respite foster carer, providing care for short periods for young people who need it while they wait for a more permanent home.
He said he knows what these kids are feeling when they come into a strange environment, and it’s rewarding to be able to help them feel comfortable in that space as quickly as possible.
“They’ve come out of broken homes for whatever reason, and sometimes it's a roof over their head, a bedtime story, and to be able to go to sleep at night knowing they're safe,” Peter said.
“Those simple things are the most important.”
Foster Care Week runs from September 13 to 19 to celebrate Victoria’s foster carers and the important role they play, while raising awareness of the growing need for more foster carers.
More than 17,000 Victorian children are living in out-of-home care, kinship care or foster care. Photo: Getty Images
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As of March 2026, more than 9,100 Victorian children and young people are currently living in out-of-home care, with more than 7,400 in kinship care and more than 1,200 in foster care.
This year’s theme, Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Opportunities., recognises the many ways people can support children and young people through foster care, and encourages Victorians to explore how caring for a child may fit into their lives.
If you've ever thought about fostering, Foster Care Week is a great opportunity to learn more.
Call Fostering Connections on 1800 013 088 or visit fosteringconnections.com.au to explore the different types of care available and whether fostering could be right for you.
