When 21-year-old Brodie walked into Wesley Dalmar’s foster care office in Coffs Harbour on the first day of his traineeship, he felt right at home.
“I went upstairs to the team, and I said, ‘Oh. You once took me to school, or you once took me to this’. So, I kind of knew everyone,” Brodie says.
Brodie has felt right at home at Wesley Dalmar since he first entered our care at 15 years old. But Brodie’s journey in foster care began when he was just a baby.
Over the years Brodie moved from foster care placement to placement, some short and others long. It wasn’t until Brodie’s long-term placement broke down when he was 15 and he was transferred from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) to Wesley Mission, that he began to find stability.
Here he met Tiyarn, his Wesley Mission Case Manager who stayed with him until he turned 17 and then he transitioned into Wesley Take Charge of Your Life, a program that helps young people leaving foster care to build the life skills they need to be independent.
“She was the only familiar person, the constant that I could go to. It was good to not have a change of case manager every six months or every year,” says Brodie.
Brodie was thankful to have someone he could rely on for support – whether that was help managing his finances, a lift to work or helping him gain his driver’s licence.
“She would drive out to where I was living and let me drive the work car and get my hours up, and we’d just chat in the car or listen to music,” Brodie says. “She built quite a good relationship with me, and I am still in contact with her today.”
Brodie was even more grateful when Wesley Dalmar supported him to stay in private school. Before Brodie’s foster care placement broke down when he was 17, his foster carers paid for private school out of their own pocket.
“My foster carers got me out of a public school that I wasn’t doing well at. I wasn’t studying and I was with the wrong crowd. They said, ‘Let’s put you into a private Christian school and let’s reinforce your faith and keep you somewhere that’s going to be good for you’,” Brodie explains.
When the placement broke down, the team at Wesley Dalmar continued to fund his school tuition.
“They said they’d support it because it’s the only sort of stable thing going on in my life,” says Brodie.
Support to become independent
Unable to set Brodie up in a new foster care placement, he transitioned into Wesley Take Charge of Your Life to support Brodie in becoming independent. We also connected Brodie with Premier’s Youth Initiative, run by Uniting, to provide him with a home.
“Premier’s Youth Initiative set me up with housing and gave me subsidised rent. And Wesley Mission assisted with groceries and transport to and from school or work,” Brodie explains.
The support Brodie once found with Tiyarn, he also found with Jayson, Future Planning Consultant and Nerissa, Team Leader, both from Wesley Take Charge of Your Life.
“I don’t think I would be where I am and who I am right now if I hadn’t had those people showing me that I was worth the effort, worth the phone calls and worth chasing me. They made sure I was getting to school, I was getting to work and they assisted me with all those wonderful things,” Brodie shares.
Brodie says he’ll never forget the support he received from Wesley Take Charge of Your Life to host his first Christmas in his home at just 17. Brodie’s support team took him grocery shopping and then helped him prepare a meal for his friends.
“They took the time out the day before Christmas, on the weekend and came over and helped me learn how to cook,” Brodie explains.
These days, Nerissa and Jayson mainly support Brodie with accessing funds from his care plan, which is managed by DCJ.
“Brodie’s very self-sufficient. He contacts DCJ directly and ccs us when he needs anything from his financial plan, which is amazing. It’s what we want – for him to be independent,” says Nerissa.
Brodie knows they’re only just a phone call away when he needs support and he never hesitates to reach out because he says Nerissa and Jayson have his back.
“Not having a family to rely on, these people are almost family. And I can run to them if I need support or an ear to listen,” Brodie says.
Jayson adds, “If something tricky comes up and he’s having a hard time trying to access funds from DCJ, he knows he can come to us, and we’ll go to bat for him.”
Working towards his career goal
For Brodie, the biggest life-changing moment came when Jayson recommended Brodie for a traineeship with the Wesley Dalmar team in Coffs Harbour.
“When the traineeship came up, I knew he was the perfect candidate,” says Jayson.
Passionate about helping young people in foster care and wanting to pursue a career goal as a case manager, Brodie jumped at the opportunity.
“He’s always been sure of himself and what he wants to do,” Jayson says.
Michelle, Wesley Dalmar Program Manager agrees. “Even when Brodie was in school, he had a clear vision for where he wanted his future to go.”
Brodie applied, was selected for an interview and to Brodie’s delight, he was successful.
“When developing the trainee position, we had the idea that we were looking for someone who had lived experience, who wanted to be in the field and was willing to study. Brodie fits all these areas perfectly,” Michelle explains.
Every Thursday Brodie is supported by his Wesley Vocational Institute Trainer and Assessor, Vicki at the Coffs Harbour office, who helps him study his CHC42021 Certificate IV in Community Services. Whenever Brodie has a question or needs support understanding an assessment, Vicki is on hand to provide advice and support.
“She’s great at directing me and assisting me,” Brodie says.
Vicki says it’s a privilege to support Brodie on his journey to meet his career goals.
“I’ll certainly support him 100 per cent to achieve it,” Vicki says.
On the other weekdays, Brodie works closely alongside the Wesley Dalmar team in Coffs Harbour, whether that’s taking notes or joining a caseworker in the field.
“The traineeship will give Brodie a taste of what the foster care case manager role entails and a keen idea of the different community service roles available in the sector,” explains Michelle.
“Our team have all gotten behind Brodie in this role, taking him along to different meetings, such as home visits and family time visits, and engaging him in team meetings and complex case panels. The team have welcomed Brodie as another team member.”
Alongside his studies, Vicki says this traineeship is the best training ground to equip Brodie for the workforce.
“He’s got so many different mentors he can ask questions of and he’s getting paid while he learns. To learn on the job, to have the resources surrounding him, it’s a great way to learn.”
Since starting his traineeship, Michelle has watched him grow from strength to strength.
“Brodie has really taken on the role seriously, ensuring he is learning as much as he can while taking on any feedback provided and working to make the needed adjustments,” she says.
Both Vicki and Michelle agree Brodie is well on his way to achieving his goal.
“He has the capacity and the drive to do it,” Vicki says.
Michelle adds, “I really hope and pray Brodie succeeds in his vision. Brodie has wanted to work in the field for as long as I have known him. I am hoping the traineeship can give him a good idea and understanding of what the field is all about so that he makes the right choice for himself.”
Once Brodie finishes his Certificate IV and traineeship with Wesley Mission, he hopes to continue his studies with Wesley Vocational Institute and complete a Diploma in Community Services.
More importantly, Brodie hopes he can continue working for Wesley Mission after his traineeship, and one day he hopes to become a Case Manager with Wesley Dalmar.