Three years of heartache did little to dampen Brittany’s drive to welcome a child to her family.

With husband Christiaan, she suffered through a difficult IVF journey and nine miscarriages, receiving little explanation as to why they were finding it so difficult to carry a baby to term.

“We put it down to, ‘It’s not the right time’ , or ‘This isn’t for us right now’, Brittany says.

“But I’ve always been destined to become a mum. I was at work one day and I thought I’d enquire about foster care.

“We just knew we were going to become parents no matter what and we could give our love to a child that wasn’t our own.”

The Department for Child Protection is sharing the Mid North couple’s as part of Foster and Kinship Carer Week (13-19 September), which celebrates the incredible impact family-based carers have in children’s lives.

Brittany, now 31, and Christiaan, 34, welcomed their first foster child 3.5 years ago in the lead up to Christmas.

“On that day, it was our local Christmas pageant, and we took him there and everyone was looking at us,” Brittany says.

“But we had so much love to give, so it just felt natural.”

The couple were surprised it took just six months to apply to become carers and offer their first placement through support agency Uniting Country SA.

Another two years down the track, a baby boy came to live with Brittany, a beauty salon owner and Christiaan, who works in rural product sales.

“Then we were a family of four and that was crazy. I was working full-time and he came to work with me in the salon – we just made it work,” Brittany says.

The couple also work to maintain the children’s connections with their biological family members.

During Foster and Kinship Carer Week, the department is hosting about 20 events across the state to recognise the vital role carers play in child protection.

For more information about foster care, visit fostercare.sa.gov.au or call 1300 2 FOSTER (1300 2 367 837). You can also contact your local Uniting Country SA office on 8633 9023.