Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW & Keep Them Safe

For Information on the Inquiry and the government's response & AbSec's Submission to the Inquiry aswell as Keep Them Safe click  Special Commission and Keep Them Safe

Keep them Safe – A shared approach to child wellbeing

Aboriginal children and young people are over represented in the child protection and out of home care service systems in NSW. As indicated in Justice Wood's - Special Commission of Inquiry and Keep Them Safe, there are many reasons for this over representation, including the ongoing and generational effects of Stolen Generations and the separating of Aboriginal children from their families, increasing effects of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, poor health, poor education, unemployment, discrimination, housing and the disempowerment of parents and communities.

Keep Them Safe—the NSW Government’s five-year plan to improve the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in NSW—includes measures to support and work with Aboriginal children and families and to reduce the number of Aboriginal children coming into contact with the out- of- home care and child protection system.

AbSec is responsible for two Keep Them Safe projects; Protecting Aboriginal Children Together (PACT) and Intensive Family Based Services (IFBS) .AbSec together in partnership with Families and Community Services (FaCS) will coordinate the development of these projects and its establishment in various sites across NSW. AbSec has a lead role in community consultation and engagement. AbSec and FaCS are jointly involved to support and implement these projects.

Wood Inquiry Recommendation 8.5:

NSW Government should develop a strategy to build capacity in Aboriginal organisations to enable one or more to take on a role similar to that of Lakidjeka Aboriginal Child Specialist Advice & Support Service (ACSASS).  This means the service is to act as advisers to Community Services in relation to child protection matters.

Wood Inquiry Recommendation 10.5

The Government will develop and trial intensive family preservation services and, if successful, will roll out these services state wide.

“the number and range of family preservation services provided by NGO’s should be extended. This should include extending Intensive Family Based Services to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal families’