The Aboriginal Kinship Care Support Pilot Program was developed in consultation with different areas of the Department for Child Protection (DCP) and with carers.  A key premise supporting the program is that ACCOs are best able to:

• maintain and build children and young people’s sense of identity and their connections to family, community and culture
• support the achievement of longer term outcomes, for Aboriginal children and young people

It was also recognised that partnering with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations for this pilot will be an important strategy to embed the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle into practice.

The Kinship Care Support program is a pilot program and will be evaluated.

Three providers were successful in the tender and were contracted by DCP to deliver the Aboriginal Kinship Care Support Pilot Program:

• InComPro in their consortium arrangement with Uniting Care Wesley Bowden
• Kornar Winmil Yunti (KWY) in their consortium arrangement with Lutheran Community Care
• Aboriginal Family Support Services (AFSS).

AFFSS, InCOMPro and KWY   have a minimum placement service level of 35 placements within each service and have up to 12 months to achieve this outcome.

The providers are currently finalising their licensing requirements and will commence service delivery once this is finalised. AFFS has started receiving referrals.

Prior to carer approval, service providers are responsible for:

• receiving and accepting referrals
• meeting with the kinship carer to commence the provision of support and provide information about the assessment process
• initiate any mandatory pre-approval carer training
• conducting the full carer assessment using Winangay Full Carer Assessment tool
• submitting the carer assessment and assessment report recommendations to the Carer Approval and Review Unit (CARU).

Following carer approval, the service provider is responsible for:

• providing regular face-to-face sessions with the kinship carer
• assisting the kinship carer to navigate the DCP service system, in partnership with DCP
• connecting the kinship carer with practical supports, carer networks and other services
• supporting the kinship carer through critical incidents, care concerns or special investigations
• undertaking ongoing Carer Reviews with input from the child or young person’s case worker
• providing the Carer Review to CARU
• identifying and facilitating ongoing carer training
• identifying and assessing respite carers.

When children and young people are transitioning from care, the service provider is responsible for:

• assisting the child or young person’s case worker to develop a transition plan during reunification or transition of a child or young person from their placement
• supporting kinship carers during transition
• facilitating the handover of personal information relating to the child or young person to support a safe and informed transition

working with the kinship carer to complete a Carer Exit Survey where appropriate.

The pilot will provide support to Kinship carers in regional areas.

Incompro is based in the northern region and KWY is based in the southern region.  The regions covered by the service providers are outlined below

^* indicates that region will be considered for future development by provider

DCP case workers are responsible for:

• scoping kinship carer placements in accordance with the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle
• gathering information to inform placement matching
• reviewing the child or young person's placement needs
• conducting temporary placement assessment using the Winangay tool
• supporting kinship carer to complete an application to become an approved kinship carer
• informing the kinship carer about the ACCO support service if available in the region
• making a referral for Kinship carer assessment and support.

Who can be referred

Carers caring for Aboriginal children and young people will be referred to AFSS, InComPro, and KWY for a full carer assessment and ongoing carer support.

If the service providers have no capacity to accept referrals, the assessment will be progressed by a DCP Kinship Care Assessor and carer support will be provided by the DCP kinship Care Program.

Once a referral has been accepted by the ACCO, they will undertake the full carer assessment using the Winangay Carer Assessment tool.

How to refer a carer for assessment and support to ACCO

When a temporary placement of an Aboriginal child or young person is made, the case worker undertakes the Winangay Initial Carer Assessment, and provides the kinship carer with the application to become a kinship carer   and the consent to undertake a child protection history check.

On completion of the temporary placement the case worker:

• uploads the Winangay Initial Carer Assessment in C3MS
• completes referral form for carer assessment/ support and
• forwards the signed application to be a kinship carer  .

The Supervisor of the DCP Kinship Care Assessment Team is responsible for sending all referrals for a full carer assessment and carer support to the service providers.

How to transfer a carer to an ACCO

The case worker should obtain the carers consent to share information, complete the carer transfer checklist and sned carer’s information to Kate Bradbrook via email.

AFFSS, InCOMPro and KWY will be working with case workers:

• following a temporary placement when the service provider is undertaking a full carer assessment
• to support kinship carers to participate in care team meetings and a child or young person’s annual review
• to support kinship carer’s during transitions including reunification or transition from the placement
• in response to care concerns
• as part of Carer Reviews.