When her foster son skips happily off to school in the morning, Amanda sits in her car and savours the moment.
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The boy she and husband Will have loved and nurtured since he was six-days-old has learning disabilities so the daily routine of caring for him can be a challenge.
But it is those magic moments when the boy, now 11, says 'I love you' or when he conquers his own personal goals that makes the hard work worthwhile.
The family have made an enormous impact on the life of their foster son.
Last month, after receiving another grading at karate, he turned to Amanda and said: "I never thought a boy like me could get something like this."
"He has to work harder than other kids for a grading, so when he passes it's priceless," said Amanda.
"When something clicks with him his whole face lights up. I hang on to those lovely moments."
Having had four birth children, now aged 18 to 23, the family turned to fostering, wanting to expand their family.
Some counselled against taking on a special needs child but the family could not be happier.
"I would definitely, truthfully say it's probably the best decision we ever made to take him on," Amanda said.
"He's with us permanently till he is 18 but I imagine that he will live with us forever."
Not all foster children have special needs, but all need a stable, loving home in which to thrive and grow.
With 450 new foster carers needed in NSW over the next 12 months, an information night will be held at Dapto by the area's regional inter-agency working group and spokesperson Toni Lea-Howie said the group hopes to recruit all types of foster carers.
"Children and young people in care need a supportive base so they can focus on their education and other opportunities in their journey towards adulthood," Ms Lea-Howie said.
Currently, there is a high demand for immediate and short-term care and carers who are in a position to look after school-aged children and siblings.
"Foster carers need to be kind and good-humoured to manage the challenges of caring for children," said Ms Lea-Howie.
The foster care information night will be held on April 30 at Dapto's Ribbonwood Centre starting at 6.30pm.
Illawarra foster care agencies participating in the talk include Barnardos, CareSouth, CatholicCare, Life Without Barriers, MacKillop Family Services, William and the Campbell Foundation.