Published on Monday 2 December, 2019

2019 was a big year for four-year-old Toby* who, after a lot of instability and change, found his perfect home with Foster Carers, Pearce and Eloisa.

Toby came to Lifestyle Solutions’ Out Of Home Care services in 2018 with some challenging behaviours.

After several unsuccessful attempts to find Toby permanent placement, our Foster Care team placed Toby with Pearce and Eloisa who’ve been Foster Carers with Lifestyle Solutions since 2012.

“Toby has changed my life for the better. Even when he becomes distressed, I feel so strongly bonded. I really understand him,” said Eloisa.

For the past eight months the couple has worked alongside Lifestyle Solutions’ Carer Services Officer, Bronwyn McDonald, and Case Manager, Amy Reilly, who’ve seen great improvement in his behaviours.

“Every home visit has been an opportunity to see how far Toby has progressed in areas such as speech, expression, responsiveness, and feeling contentment in his new home,” said Amy.

He’s now able to better express himself, has started developing relationships at preschool and recently been accepted into kindergarten.

“How did Toby’s behaviours change so quickly? I believe the answer is that Pearce and Eloisa are the right carers for him. They provide a warm and loving environment, offering empathy, and set routines and boundaries for Toby,” said Bronwyn.

“Toby’s life has changed, and a new world of opportunity has emerged for him.”

The couple has formed a strong connection with Toby. They’ve watched as he’s bonded closely with his two foster siblings and have supported him as he reconnects and spends time with his birth siblings.

“For children like Toby, people need to understand that their behaviours are their own way of asking for help. Sometimes I ask myself if I hadn’t migrated to Australia, who would have looked after Toby?’ I am so happy that it’s us,” said Eloisa.

*Not his real name.