Melanie Grove, the manager of client services in the Bathurst Community Services Centre, said people in the existing pool of carers are reaching their limit and unable to take on more children than they already have.

"We've got to the point where we don't have anyone left in our pools and we're ending up with children having to move away from the area, and then they're really disconnected from their family if they're local, the services, school and their friends," she said.

"We don't want that to happen for them, but we're getting to that crisis point where we're having to move them away just for them to be able to access a service. Sometimes they are also ending up in residential care, so often it is not even a movement to a foster care placement, it's actually a movement to a residential care."

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While it's not a new problem, Ms Grove said the shortage of carers has been at its worst over the past 12 to 18 months.

At the same time, there has been an increase in children with more complex needs entering the system who would benefit from being in a placement where there are no other children.

On average, there are 10 to 15 children in Bathurst at any one time that need a placement.

There are less than 20 foster carers in Bathurst currently and, without more people signing up, more children are going to have to be moved to other areas of the state to be cared for.

Ms Grove said anyone over the age of 18 has the potential to be a foster carer.

It doesn't matter whether they are single or in a relationship, if they work part-time, full-time or are retired, or if they already have children or not.

"You just need someone who's caring and loving, and actually wants to open up their home and, I guess, can work through some challenges at times and are willing to stick in there and be that constant person for the child," Ms Grove said.

People can provide short-term emergency accommodation, or choose to facilitate long-term placements that could last from early childhood right through to the age of 18.

They will receive financial support to provide for the needs of the child or children.

"They're paid a carer allowance every fortnight. That carer allowance varies depending on the child's age, and it also varies depending on if the child has additional needs," Ms Grove said.

"They pretty much have to meet the basic needs of the child with that allowance, like food, daily living costs, those sorts of things, but each year we develop a case plan for a child so that if there are other things in addition to what that allowance might cover then we're able to seek additional support."

Being a foster carer can be a very emotionally rewarding experience, and people often form long-lasting bonds with the children they have helped.

People who think they might be in a position to be a foster carer are encouraged to visit the Communities & Justice NSW website or the My Forever Family NSW website for more information.

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