19/06/2020

More than half of Aboriginal children and young people in care live with kinship carers, who play a critical role in developing and maintaining their connection to family, community and culture.  Recognising this, we are pleased to announce that three Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations will shortly begin delivering a 2-year pilot program to provide these carers with more culturally-specific and specialised support - Aboriginal Family Support Services, KWY and InComPro.

KWY has partnered with Lutheran Community Care and InComPro has partnered with Uniting Care Wesley Bowden to support carers.

This pilot program recognises that Aboriginal organisations are best placed to support Aboriginal children and young people in care and is a significant step towards further embedding the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle.

Supports offered through the program will depend on the individual kinship carer’s needs. This could include helping the carer to manage the impacts of intergenerational trauma, facilitating training, providing advocacy and advice and connecting carers to services and networks.

To understand and manage demand, the program will initially be made available to new kinship carers of Aboriginal children.

This important pilot program will begin early in the 2020-21 financial year, helping us to provide more culturally safe services and shift the way we work with Aboriginal families.

Read our media release for more information.