Becoming one's own foster parent

[tcpip]

Apparently, there's a big discussion on TikTok on whether an 18-year-old can legally adopt a 17-year-old. Well, I have a related story. When I was 17 (way back in the dark ages of 1985 (before TikTok, Youtube, Facebook, even before Google), I became my own carer, and I was paid a supplement to look after myself as my own foster parent.

The circumstances were as follows; on turning 17 I found myself in a situation where I was a State Ward (that's a longer story), still at school, but with no income and no fixed address. There were some occasions where I was "sleeping rough" as has become the contemporary phrase. My assigned social worker learned of the situation and, deciding I was quite responsible if provided some modest income support, made some arrangements.

I'll never forget that day in her office. Prior to this, I thought she was all sweetness and light. Dealing with the government bureaucracy on the 'phone she transformed into a demon of fury, demanding that the application and payment be processed immediately. Once that was done, she slammed the 'phone down and turned backed into her usual angelic self. The application was approved, and shortly I would be receiving the princely sum of $30 a week.

How was all this possible? Well, it turns out that the supplement was available for those particularly low-income parents who found themselves with a child and it was payable to anyone aged 16 or older. However, it would wrong to exclude foster parents from such an arrangement and the age that a person could be fostered was anyone younger than 18. I fell into a sweet spot where I could become my own foster parent.

Now, I am sure someone will do the figures and point out that $30/week was woefully insufficient for a person to live on in 1985, and they would be quite right. This was a state government supplement. There was also a federal government payment for that small percentage of full-time high-school students of "independent circumstances" which amounted to $45/week. That was being processed as well, and it was a mighty day when I received six-months back payment for that. Another story, but the main point of this one is how I became my own foster parent.

In hindsight, I think I did a pretty reasonable job looking after this rather well-meaning, if errant, youth.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

This is epic, and I am very impressed with your social worker and ever much more so with you. At 17 I couldn't take care of a fish, let alone myself. (I tried.)

[tcpip]

Which one did you try at? Yourself or a fish? Or both? :)

[minoanmiss]

The poor unfortunate fish. :)

[tcpip]

Fish can be really hard, especially if you're new to them. The tendency to overfeed can do them in quite easily, or sudden changes to temperature sends them into shock. It's taken a while but I'm OK with fish these days.

[minoanmiss]

beams at you

I grew up with a fishtank so I thought I could keep a fish in a bowl. I still feel kind of bad towards the fish.

[samissam]

Pretty cool. Nice one :)

[warriorsavant]

Interesting story. Kudos to that social worker; we need more people like her.

[tcpip]

I caught up with her when I was in first-year uni; at that stage I was a teenaged Trotskyist. But that was the last time we met.

[ladina]

This is really impressive. I'm glad you turned out alright. I, at 26, still have trouble taking care of myself.

[tcpip]

I think everyone has some trouble taking care of themselves well into adulthood, and that's putting aside a lot of mental healt challenges.

A friend of mine even nominated it as a learned skill. "Shit-togetherness", he nominated. There are, of course, terms like "home economics" and perhaps even better "stewardship" that would be appropriate.

[dorchadas]

It's always amazing when those legal loopholes work out for someone's betterment!

That sounds like the perfect temperament for social work, to be honest. I hope she was able to maintain it.

[motg]

Well done you! That is quite a story. I love your angelic social worker!