A SHORTAGE in foster care places in central Victoria region has forced 16 children aged seven to 17 to be relocated to other parts of the state, according to St Luke’s Anglicare.

St Luke's foster care service said it was flagging a demand for more carers this month based on the number of young people requiring foster care homes. 

Team leader of St Luke's care giver services Louise Baker said 16 was "pretty concerning", with the potential for more cases rising each day.

"That’s a high number, we’re the only provider for foster care placements in this region," she said. 

"When the Department of Human Services ring us and we can’t provide a placement, they have to go elsewhere.

"We have some who are already in Melbourne or Mildura. They have been relocated and any future ones will as well."

"Our community is caring, it’s compassionate – and right now we’re calling on local regional residents to bring those qualities to the fore, to satisfy our urgent plea for 16 foster homes."

Ms Baker said the service was specifically "facing a critically urgent need for foster homes for the older children in our care". 

While St Luke's foster care service covers the shires of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges, Central Goldfields, Loddon and Campaspe, Ms Baker said the majority of the children needing care were from Bendigo and Echuca.

She said without local foster homes, children who had had already been traumatised faced a new trauma with relocation.  

“It’s an upheaval at a crucial time in their young lives, it means leaving their community, changing schools, farewelling family and friends," she said.

"It’s hard enough that they've had to go through what they've been through to get into care; it's leaving everything else that’s familiar.

"That must be really traumatic."

Ms Baker said the high demand for foster care places had been "happening for a while", but the service never stopped trying to find the children a place closer to home.

"In the end, we always want to place them back where they come from," she said.

She said people could make a difference in a child's life by choosing to become a foster carer.

"We know people tend to wait up about five years before first thinking about it and actually doing something about it," she said. 

"Don’t wait, give us a call. If you’re not sure if this is the right time, we’ll give you all the information you need to know."

She said St Luke's foster carers were well supported and backed up with extensive training. 

"The young person in your care will have their own case manager, while one of our experienced team will also support you as a carer," she said.

"Local foster carers can be people who’ve tree-changed, retired, married, single, in a same-sex relationship, work full-time or study."

She said the training course consisted of eight modules, one evening a week over four weeks, with the next course starting in March. 

For more information, contact 5440 1100 or email fostercare@stlukes.org.au