Every Christmas is special for Betty and Shaun.

The northern suburbs couple enthusiastically decorate their front yard with lights, adorn their home with festive cheer, and celebrate an array of Christmas traditions with their children.

But this year, there’s a little extra – their three-year-old foster child Jessica*.

“She just slots right it,” Betty said. “She has everyone wrapped around her little finger. She’s beautiful.”

The couple has three children of their own, aged 12, 15 and 17, and also have kinship care of their 11-year-old nephew Robert*.

They’ve had Robert since he was just four months old.

But they’re also taking part in the Department for Child Protection’s pilot Additionally Approved Carer (AAC) Program.

Under the program, kinship carers who have the capacity to take on another child unrelated to them offer short-term or emergency placements, reducing pressure on the residential care system.

“We had the time and the kids are older now,” Betty said. “I can take Jessica to work with me; it was just the right time.”

Now Christmas is just around the corner, Betty is busy preparing for the big day and making sure Jessica feels included.

One of the family’s many traditions is a named Christmas stocking for each child, accompanied by a fresh, framed photo of each in their Santa hat. The new photo goes over the top of last year’s, so the children can see how much they’ve grown.

“I struggled to find a matching frame and stocking for her (Jessica),” Betty said. “I eventually found a silver frame that was close. She loved it, and put it straight up next to the other kids’.”

Christmas for the family doesn’t end there of course; there’s the riverbank Christmas display at Hindmarsh, tours of neighbourhood Christmas lights, carols,  baking, Christmas crafts and a huge Christmas dinner with the rellies.

Betty is not sure how long Jessica will stay with the family but they are open to considering whatever she needs.

“She’s got three siblings, so we hope they are ultimately re-united,” she said.

“Our reasoning to do this was to help as many children as possible.”

Since the Additionally Approved Carers Program began in January, more than 2240 nights of care have been provided to children young people. Senior social workers identify kinship carers who may have capacity to take on another child while longer-term placements are arranged.

Kinship carers should contact their case worker for more information on the Additionally Approved Care Program.

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons