Sophie Brown is a parent to four kids – two foster children and two more of her own – and works as a school nurse in Victoria's East Gippsland.
Ms Brown put her hand up to be a foster carer more than 10 years ago after realising just how many vulnerable children were in need of support.
"I was working in a medical clinic, and the doctor had to call child protection and the police to remove a child from her office because no-one could track her mother down," she said.
"That was really quite upsetting for everybody and we were all wondering, 'Well, where is this child going to go?'"
But this initially distressing experience opened Ms Brown's eyes to the vital role of carers, and the possibility of becoming one herself.
"They soon told us they had a foster home sorted out and it was in a small town so I just thought, 'Wow, there's somebody ready and waiting to take this little girl in.'"
But now Ms Brown says providing this care and support is getting tougher because of the cost of living.
Family service organisations are urging the government to increase the foster carer allowance as carers across regional communities grapple with rising prices.
In Australia, there are several types of state care available to children unable to stay with their families of origin. These include living with an approved foster carer or kinship guardian.
But the financial and emotional demands of supporting vulnerable children mean those signing up to be carers are few and far between.
'A real struggle'
Finding and retaining quality carers like Ms Brown is even more challenging in regional areas.
Melinda Carlyle from Upper Murray Family Care says the lack of allied health services and support networks in the regions can discourage prospective carers from stepping forward.
"It's a real struggle, I will be honest, around finding foster carers that are willing to work with these really complex little kiddies that find it difficult to navigate through life because of the trauma they've been exposed to," she said.
But Ms Carlyle says the economic climate is causing the already small pool of local carers to shrink even faster.
"I think the biggest hurdle around becoming a foster carer is the increasing cost of living," she said.
Ms Brown says rising interest rates are just one reason she often struggles to make ends meet, even with government payments in hand.
"I have a mortgage and I am a single parent, so it is quite stressful."
A crucial first step
Shepparton-based family care specialist Mario De SantaAna knows firsthand how quickly the costs of supporting a child can add up.
"Having been a past carer myself, I know that you are out of pocket, to a certain extent.
"Yes, there's a carer payment, but with the cost of living these days, it probably doesn't quite match up."
The carer allowance is intended to contribute towards the day-to-day expenses of caring for a child, including accommodation, food, transport, and recreational costs.
But the vast majority of carers receive the lowest payment level, which advocates say sits well below the average cost of raising a child in Australia.
Ms Brown said it was unrealistic to keep carer payments the same with inflation only set to rise.
"The expectation that people will just carry on and shoulder that burden because they have children in their care is a lot to ask when things keep going up and up."
While it may not be a silver bullet, Mr De SantaAna said raising the carer allowance was key to ensuring carers could properly support the children in their care.
"You're not just a volunteer carer, but are then part of a professional care team that's wrapped around the child and the family. And you're valued in that role," he said.
Ms Carlyle also said government must prioritise funding reform to better support carers and the vital work they do.
"It's really easy to talk about pie-in-the-sky stuff," she said.
"But I think if we're talking about really productive, quick decision-making, the allowance is just not enough for our foster carers because we ask for so much from them."
