Are foster parents now called foster carers? Why is that?

I live in Australia and was reading some things on the child protection website and saw that they were called foster carers now. Why is that, don't the kids stay all the time with them?
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Isn't that kind of rude to the foster parents though? I mean if they're actually parenting the child, especially for months or years, they are a parent in some capacity?

Cynthia

My sister in law is a foster mum (we live in QLD). Some of the staff she deals with call her a carer, others a foster mother. To me she is a foster parent, she parents her foster children as I do mine and does a wonderful job with it. I think it may be to make the biological parents feel better but I do believe children should know they are being raised by a person who considers them family!

To me she is a mother, just like a biological, adoptive or step mother is.

gypsywinter

Use to be a long time ago, that people who adopted children were called 'fosterers'. I read this in a very, very old news article about Al Jolson and his wife who adopted from 'The Cradle' in Evanston, Illinois. The Jolsons were called 'fosterers', even though they had adopted from that adoption agency. For the younger crowd who may not know.......Al Jolson was a Star in Burlesque/Vaudeville. Many actors and actresses adopted babies/children from The Cradle and the Gladney Home in Texas.

Lisa K

They are called carers as to not confuse them with the childs natural parents.

The Idea of foster Care is to Ultimately get the children back with their Parent/s. Sometimes this is successful, many times it is not.

Children do generally live with the Carers Full-time, However it could be Months to Years. They can move from Foster Home to Foster Home or they can move from Foster Home back to Parents Home Etc..

Basically its just to Disguish the difference Between an Actual Parent and a Carer. One thing foster Carers must always remember is they are NOT the childs Parent/s and unless they are going to Adopt the child and take full responsibility for that child they are just a Carer.

Weeme

I hear both. I think it depends on who you're talking to. I think it may also be because there are so many kinds of foster care, where some people just have the kids for a weekend or something, that's not really parenting, it's just providing care.
But a friend of mine is a social worker and she refers mostly to foster parents.
And yes, if you're raising a child it obviously is parenting.

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