Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families will have access to culturally appropriate Indigenous-specific and mainstream services and care.

Plans that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

Cultural support plan

A cultural support plan is required for every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child who is subject to ongoing intervention. The initial cultural support plan should be developed when the first case plan is developed during a family-led decision making process.

The cultural support plan aims to ensure that every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child remains connected to family, community and culture, irrespective of their placement, and is a key component of their case planning process. The child’s cultural support plan is fundamental to the delivery of culturally appropriate child protection services because it:

  • captures information about that particular child’s family, community and personal history
  • helps increase the knowledge and understanding of the child’s place in their family, kinship and community structure
  • helps nurture and support the child while strengthening their cultural identity and connections
  • assists with the child’s understanding of their community networks and cultural heritage
  • documents arrangements for contact with family and significant community members
  • identifies opportunities for the child’s participation in activities and experiences that will maintain their links with family, community and culture
  • helps ensure that important cultural and family information is maintained for any child who is too young to contribute to their own cultural support plan or for a child who does not want to identify with their community or culture.

A child’s cultural support plan is an important information and planning tool that is tailored to an individual Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child’s needs and circumstances.

The development of a child’s cultural support plan is an important task that must be completed with sensitivity and in partnership with the child, when age and developmentally appropriate, the family, the family group meeting participants, community Elders and local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander workers. It is to be tailored to the child’s personal circumstances and needs.

For data on case plans, health passports, education support plans and transition to adulthood planning, go to the plans that support children in the improved care and post care support section of this site.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children with a cultural support plan

Source: Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

What is being counted

  1. Data is as at the reference date.
  2. Counts the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children subject to intervention with parental agreement or a child protection order with a cultural support plan recorded on the central system as at the reference date.
  3. A child is only counted once in each time period.
  4. Age group: The age of the child as at the reference date.

Definition notes

  1. Cultural support plan: A written document that is a key part of the case planning process for every child from another culture, and in particular, for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child.

  2. Intervention with parental agreement: Intervention with parental agreement refers to time-limited intensive intervention by Child Safety focusing on the safety, belonging, wellbeing and cultural needs of a child who is in need of protection, without the need for a court order. The child's parents agree to work cooperatively with Child Safety to keep the child safe and are able and willing to work actively to reduce the level of risk in the home. The aim is to build the capacity of the family so they are able to meet the needs of the child following the intervention.

  3. Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders. 

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children with a current cultural support plan

Source: Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.

What is being counted

  1. Data is as at the reference date.
  2. Counts the number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children subject to intervention with parental agreement or a child protection order where their cultural support plan was created or reviewed in the past six months as at the reference date.
  3. A child is only counted once in each time period.

Definition notes

  1. Cultural support plan: The cultural support plan is an essential component of the case plan for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child or a child from another cultural community. It is completed when a child is in need of protection, to ensure they remain connected with their culture, families and communities regardless of where they are living.
  2. Intervention with parental agreement: Intervention with parental agreement refers to time-limited intensive intervention by Child Safety focusing on the safety, belonging, wellbeing and cultural needs of a child who is in need of protection, without the need for a court order. The child's parents agree to work cooperatively with Child Safety to keep the child safe and are able and willing to work actively to reduce the level of risk in the home. The aim is to build the capacity of the family so they are able to meet the needs of the child following the intervention.
  3. Child protection order: A child protection order is an order made by the Childrens Court under the Child Protection Act 1999, when a child is assessed to be in need of protection. There are different types of child protection orders, depending on a child and family's situation, including directive orders, supervision orders, custody orders and guardianship orders.