Out-of-home Care & Child Removals
Early intervention and holistic family support should always be the first port of call.
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When child protective services determine that a child is at unacceptable risk of abuse or neglect, they often remove the child from their family and place them into out-of-home care (OOHC). In New South Wales, more than 6,600 Aboriginal children and young people were in statutory out-of-home care as of 30 June 2020. This is an increase of approximately 1,100 Aboriginal children from 30 June 2016.
Types of Out-of-Home Care in New South Wales
There are several types of out-of-home care in New South Wales, including:
Foster care
The child is placed with an unrelated foster parent.
Residential care
The child is placed in a residential facility, usually used for children or young people with high needs.
Kinship care
The child is placed with a trusted relative or community member.
Connected to community and country
It is not ideal for Aboriginal children to be placed into care; however, we accept that there may be times when an Aboriginal child needs alternate care arrangements. In these instances, it is important that out-of-home care agencies support Aboriginal children to remain connected to their birth families and communities. These vital connections inform their sense of identity and belonging. The agencies best equipped to do this are accredited Aboriginal child and family services. AbSec works to support these agencies to meet the needs of our children and families across New South Wales.
At AbSec, we advocate for Aboriginal children to remain at home with their families wherever possible. Early intervention and holistic family support should always be the first port of call. Where this fails to ensure the child’s protection, kinship care is the next best option, as it provides an environment where children can grow up with people they are close to, in a community and culture that is familiar to them.
Building a self-determining Sector
AbSec works to build an Aboriginal child and family system that is accountable to our communities by meeting the needs of our children, families, and communities. Local Aboriginal organisations represent their communities and are underpinned by governing bodies that reflect their self-determination. The value of a robust Aboriginal child and family system would be self-evident in the improved outcomes for our children. We believe that a self-determining sector is vital in strengthening our families and communities and ensuring greater accountability and transparency of the system.
