FAQs
Which universities do we recruit our tutors from?
Presently all of our tutors are students from The University of Sydney, The University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, Western Sydney University, and the University of Wollongong. The overwhelming majority come from the University of Sydney. These tutors are scattered all over greater Sydney from Campbelltown to Springwood to Hornsby to Botany.
What kind of screening and background checks do tutors undergo?
All of our tutors are required to undergo the following process:
Complete an application form detailing their motivation for volunteering, their academic records, and their professional details
Complete a phone interview with a member of the Foster the Future team
Complete our Training on Behavioural Guidelines
Complete a Working With Children Check
Complete a Reference Check
What kind of training and ongoing support do tutors receive?
All of our tutors undertake a training session that informs them on key information surrounding best practices and procedures for maintaining the privacy and safety of youth in out of home care as well as how to conduct a tutoring session. Many of our tutors also tutor elsewhere professionally at tutoring agencies or are academic tutors at their respective universities. Ongoing support is provided by Foster the Future coordinators.
Do tutors understand that the students may be struggling with school/attention because of experiences of trauma and have some strategies to be able to use with students who may be struggling?
Yes, at our training session we quite extensively cover the unfortunate fact that many students in out of home care are likely to have experienced trauma and may be dealing with behavioural traits such as anxiety. Our tutors understand that the students are often behind in their school work relative to their peers of the same age. Our tutors also aim to provide mentorship to students in order to hopefully improve their confidence and interest in learning.