Reforms to help keep Aboriginal families together

13 October 2022

The NSW Government has today introduced the Family is Culture (FIC) Bill to the NSW Parliament to address Aboriginal over-representation in out-of-home care (OOHC), and increase support for children in OOHC and their families.

The Bill implements 14 FIC recommended amendments from the Family is Culture Legislative Reforms report. An additional recommendation is being addressed through policy change and more complex recommendations will be subject to further consultations with stakeholders.

Minister for Families and Communities, and Minister for Disability Services Natasha Maclaren-Jones said this legislation would help support more children and young people to stay with their families.

“The introduction of this Bill is a giant step towards directly addressing the issue of Aboriginal over-representation in OOHC,” Mrs Maclaren-Jones said.

“Under these reforms there will be a legislative requirement to take active efforts to keep children safely at home with their parents or families when it possible to do so.

The changes will improve provision of culturally appropriate care to Aboriginal children and gives Aboriginal families a greater say in decision making and more involvement in court proceedings.

Other key changes in the Bill include:

• greater accountability and transparency in the child protection system
• improved casework and culturally sensitive assessments
• requirements for the Department of Communities and Justice to provide evidence to the Children’s Court of all the steps actively taken by caseworkers to prevent children being removed from their families.

The FIC report’s legislative reforms were informed and developed in consultation with more than 130 stakeholders.