FCAV Foster Carer Awards 2025
The FCAV was proud to launch Foster Carer Awards this year. Every foster carer deserves recognition, but the FCAV aims to shine a light on the unwavering commitment and dedication of carers through these awards.
The theme of this year’s Foster Care Week “Time to Care” couldn’t be more fitting. We were inundated with nominations telling stories of fierce advocacy, commitment and the life-changing care that foster carers provide to children and young people across the state. They showcased carer’s dedication to children’s emotional, medical, and educational needs. Carers providing stability in really complex circumstances, accepting emergency, short-term, and long-term placements, often for multiple children at once and often with little notice. Our carers adapt homes and routines to provide predictability, belonging, and safety.
Our nominees are often supporting birth families, sibling connections and reunification efforts. They are strengthening culture and maintaining Aboriginal children’s connections to family and identity including promoting cultural safety in schools, childcare, and the broader community. They are handling dysregulation, aggression, and trauma with calm, reflective approaches. They balance care roles with personal hardships all whilst being community leaders.
It is a great honour to recognise our inaugural Foster Care Award winners: Anne Dight – Berry Street and Cristy and Mat Oxley – VACCA: Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency
Currently, Cristy and Mat are providing long-term care for a child with significant disabilities, as well as two other young children with varying health needs – all while caring for their three biological teenagers and still asking for more foster placements. Their dedication even led them to build a larger home, so they could provide emergency, short-term, and respite care for more children in need. Fellow carers have described them as an essential support during complex placements, with one saying they wouldn’t have gotten through without their help. Last Christmas, they opened their doors to a teenage mum, her newborn, and her siblings, creating a safe and supportive family environment. Perhaps most telling of all – children who have lived with them, even years ago, continue to ask to return to their home for respite or short-term care, a testament to the lasting sense of safety and belonging they provide.
Her commitment to foster care extends far beyond providing a safe home – she is recognised as a tireless advocate, a nurturing figure, and a role model for best practice in caregiving. Carers and professionals alike have highlighted her ability to care for children with diverse and complex needs, noting that it speaks volumes about her resilience, patience, and expertise. As a single carer for five children, including those with disability, neurodivergence and mental health diagnoses, she balances structure and warmth, creating an environment where children feel both safe and valued. Anne's therapeutic approach is remarkable, working closely with allied health professionals and implementing behaviour support plans with precision, always with a smile and a genuine presence.
Once again we honour the shortlisted finalists, each of whom embodies the spirit of this award.
Samantha Canobio - Key Assets
Amanda and Dean Collins - Anchor Community Care Ltd.
Leonie Mapperson - VACCA: Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency
We congratulate all our finalists and thank you for joining us at the FCAV Carer Celebration on Friday 19th September 2025. Being shortlisted from such an inspiring group of nominees is a true testament to your dedication. We are deeply grateful for your extraordinary contributions to children, young people, and families across Victoria.
Congratulations to every carer nominated, to our shortlisted finalists, of course to our winners.
