Case Study: Fostering a Message that Matters

​CATEGORIES: NOT-FOR-PROFIT, VISUAL FACILITATION, ILLUSTRATION

The Client
Victorian Department of Health & Human Services 

The Challenge
We feel extraordinarily lucky on a regular basis that we get to partner with clients doing work that matters, so we were humbled when the Department of Health & Human Services approached us to map the journey of foster carers from initial interest to multiple children and beyond..
One of the biggest challenges in this space is there is a higher demand for foster carers than are available, so there is a real need for efforts in educating and inspiring others to take this journey. Getting people together with a lived experience, and enabling them to feel safe enough to share their story was a huge part of this exercise. Once we elicited their stories, we were able to illustrate the journey in a way that made sense as a poster to raise awareness and validate the important role that existing carers play.

Our Approach
We worked with folks from DHHS and the Foster Carer's Association of Victoria to:

• prepare questions to ask carers before the day
• plan a series of activities and visual aids to solicit stories from foster carers
• facilitate the workshop on the day, including members from DHHS, Foster Care organisations, and current and former carers
• synthesise and polish the findings into an illustrated journey map that could be used by the department to raise awareness about the crucial role that foster carers play in our society, as well as help identify opportunities for improving and optimising the overall system.

Our Solution
Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter, we decided collectively that there was value in creating two versions of the poster—one that would be useful for recruiting, retaining, and raising awareness of foster carers, and another version that was more suitable for internal use. This internal version was more focussed on helping members of DHHS and agencies to identify opportunities where the overall system could be improved.
We were faced with the challenge of walking a fine line between wanting to shout from the rooftops about what amazing work foster carers do for our community, with painting a realistic picture that accurately portrays the fact that being a foster carer is hard. 
Some of the stories that came out on the day were heartbreaking, and the weight of responsibility to capture and visualise those emotions was enormous.

• A draft sketch, exploring layout options and content scope

The Outcome

We were extremely proud of the final result, which was a truly collaborative effort from the department, agencies, carers, advocates, and several members of the Sketch Group team. With this journey map, the Victorian Government and the Foster Carer’s Association are better equipped to explain what is involved, manage people’s expectations, and encourage more Victorians to volunteer to foster a child.

Client Testimonials
“I love it. I think it is perfect.”
— Katie Hooper
    Chief Executive Officer, Foster Care Association of Victoria

More Information
For more details on this project, or to learn how Sketch Group can help you make an impact by sketching your story, contact our friendly team:

• Telephone: 1300 SKETCH
• Email: hello@sketchgroup.com
• Web: www.sketchgroup.com