Queensland Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander ChildProtection Peak NewsletterFebruary 2019

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Foreword from CEO, Natalie Lewis

In 2019 QATSICPP will celebrate 10 yearssince its establishment. What an excitingyear to look back over the significant andimportant achievements of QATSICPPand our Sector; a Sector built upon thestrength and resilience of culturalleaders, practice experts, innovators andadvocates who work tirelessly to ensurethat the voice of our children arerepresented, heard and acted upon.

This year is already shaping up to beanother year of important change for ourSector, for the benefit of our children, youngpeople, families and communities. On aState level, the Queensland Child ProtectionReform Amendment Act is nowimplemented; thirty-three (33) Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Child and FamilyWellbeing Services have now been fundedand are up and running state-wide; the

inception of the newly funded FamilyParticipation Program will support theprimary principle that Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander people have the right to self-determination, which will make real andmeaningful impact for our children, theirfamilies and communities; and the newlyappointed Queensland First Children andFamilies Board will oversee theimplementation of the “Our Way – Agenerational strategy for Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander children and families2017-2037” and “Changing Tracks – AnAction Plan for Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander children and families 2017-2019”.

The first cohort of students have nowcompleted the Queensland Aboriginal &Torres Strait Islander Community ControlledChild Protection Practice Standards(7050HSV) at Griffith University, a Sectordriven post-graduate qualification whichformalises the work that Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander people have beendoing with families in their communities formany years.

On a National level we have seen the recentlaunch of the Fourth Action Plan (2018-2020)under the National Framework for ProtectingAustralia’s Children (2009-2020), whichincludes a stand-alone priority on improvingoutcomes for Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander children at risk of entering, or incontact with child protection systems.

We will continue to focus on ensuringaccountability for the “industry” thatdominates delivery of services to ourcommunities and continue to advocatestrongly that it is our families, communitiesand their organisations that need to lead andbe appropriately resourced to build the futurethat our children envision and aspire to.

We thank you for your unwavering

commitment and look forward to workingtogether for better outcomes for our children,young people, families and communities. Asalways, please feel free to get in touch withany of the QATSICPP team, CouncilMembers or Board of Directors.

In Unity,Natalie

Mark the week of 24-28 June 2019 in yourcalendars as a full week of events have beenplanned to focus on the strengths andsuccesses of the Queensland Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Community ControlledChild Protection Sector.

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From 1 November 2018, the new FamilyParticipation Program (FPP) commencedthroughout Queensland replacing theRecognised Entity (RE) role. The South EastQueensland Family Participation Program isdelivered by Kalwun, ATSICHS Brisbane andMununjali within their allocated areas, withKalwun covering the Gold Coast area.

The common goal of the service is toempower families to participate in decisionsabout their children at multiple points overthe period of their engagement with the childprotection system.

READ MORE ABOUT KALWUN

Working Together to EnsureEquality for Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander Children in theEarly Years Position Paper

Prepared by SNAICC – National Voice forour Children and Early Childhood Australia(ECA), the position paper, and longerdiscussion paper, highlight key issues thatimpact on Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander children in the early years, andmakes recommendations to government andpolicy makers on critical actions to progressequality.

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The Fourth Action Plan of theNational Framework for ProtectingAustralia’s Children (2009 – 2020)

The Fourth Action Plan (2018-2020) underthe National Framework was endorsed by

Commonwealth, state and territory Ministersin December 2018 and recently launched bythe Federal Government in late January2019.

This is the first Action Plan under theFramework that has a standalone focus onimproving outcomes for Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander children who are eitherat risk of entering, or in contact with childprotection systems.

At the recent launch, Assistant Minister forChildren and Families, Michelle Landry said,“This is in recognition of the fact that the rateof Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderchildren in out- of-home care is ten timesthat of non-Indigenous children”.

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FPP Induction & AFLDM Training

This article is a reflective piece that will coverthe Family Participation Program (FPP)Induction Workshops and Aboriginal FamilyLed Decision Making (AFLDM) training,primarily because I started back atQATSCIPP during the first week of FPPInductions and it was a busy process to be apart of. The FPP Induction training was heldin October 2018 at Rockhampton, Ipswich,Townsville, Sunshine Coast, North Brisbaneand Cairns. The AFLDM-SNAICC Trainingclosely followed the FPP Inductions inNovember-December, and QATSICPP alsoprovided feedback to the Department on theFPP Funding and Program Guidelines inNovember.

Member organisations set to receiveSNAICC Family-led Decision Making

Facilitator Guide

Following participation at SNAICC’sAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family-led Decision Making Train the Trainerworkshop at State Library of Queensland lastDecember, organisations are set to receivetraining resources (electronic and hard copy)by end of February.

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Parenting Programs Makea Difference to Cairns

Families

Wuchopperen Health Service Limited hasbeen providing a variety of parentingprograms to Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander families in the Cairns region todevelop parenting skills and reduce theprevalence of mental health, emotional andbehavioural problems in children.

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Reflections on the Collaborationbetween

QATSICPP and GriffithUniversity

“Queensland Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Community Controlled Child

Protection Practice Standards”

Over the past 12 months I have beenprivileged to work with QATSICPP staff andstaff from the Griffith University First PeoplesHealth Unit as we designed and deliveredthis brand new course for 2018/2019. AtGriffith University a course is what we call asingle subject.

Article provided by: Glenn Woods, CourseConvenor, School of Human Services andSocial Work, Griffith University.

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An opportunity for the sector

Candice Butler, our Senior Practice Leader,is working on the development of thefollowing projects in 2019 which will aim toprovide an opportunity for engagement offuture students, enhancing your supervisionstory and mentoring.

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8th SNAICC National Conference 2019

“Growing up with strong identity, cultureand connection”

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Legal Aid’s Child ProtectionEarly Intervention Program

The child protection system can be difficultfor vulnerable parents to navigate,particularly in the early stages of involvementby the Department of Child Safety, Youth andWomen. At times, community-based supportagencies may be working with parents whourgently need legal advice and assistanceabout child protection issues.

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Practice Standards workshopsand Supervision Frameworks

Over the upcoming weeks, QATSICPP willbe planning workshops focusing onQATSICPP Practice Standards andSupervision Framework.

Other training opportunities that are availableinclude Family Lead Decision MakingTraining Support and QATSICPP Webinars

TAIHS Family ParticipationProgram Townsville

Training & other ProfessionalDevelopment Opportunities

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THETRAINING

It is widely recognised that the statutorysystem hasn’t always been effective ataddressing the over-representation ofAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childrenentering the child protection system, and thatthis situation continues to occur at anunsustainable rate.

The TAIHS Family Participation Program(FPP) team aims to address the currentsituation by working with families to assistthem to better understand child protectionconcerns and to ensure they have a saywhen important decisions about their familyare being made.

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Your HSQF demonstrationmethod based on your funding

and service type is ‘self-assessable’

What does this mean and what are yourequired to do?

We hope you enjoyed the two previousarticles ‘Introduction to the HSQF’ in theAugust 2018 edition of the QATSICPPnewsletter, and ‘You are required to becertified under the Human Services QualityFramework – what happens now?’ publishedin November 2018.

In this next part of the series, we will beproviding information specifically for those

organisations that have a demonstrationmethod of ‘Self-Assessable’, what you arerequired to do, and some tips to help younavigate the process.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

The Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Child Placement

Principle: A guide to supportimplementation.

New resource: The Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander Child Placement Principle:A guide to support implementation.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderChild Placement Principle (the ATSICPP)aims to keep children connected to theirfamilies, communities, cultures and country,and to ensure the participation of Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander people in decisionsabout their children’s care and protection.The ATSICPP centres on five elements:prevention, partnership, participation,placement and connection.

Traditionally, jurisdictions across Australiahave primarily focussed on the placementelement of the ATSICPP. SNAICC’s newresource, The Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander Child Placement Principle: A guideto support implementation, aims to support aholistic understanding, and the full anduniform implementation of the ATSICPPacross the country. The guide providesinformation on best practice and examplesfrom across the country of promisingapproaches to implementing each of the fiveelements of the ATSICPP. The resource alsohas a section on identifying Aboriginal and/orTorres Strait Islander children, with timelyidentification a pre-requisite to applying theATSICPP.

The guide is designed to supportpractitioners and policy makers in thechildren and family sectors from alljurisdictions to develop strategies to improvetheir implementation of the ATSICPP. Itscontent is strongly influenced by the expertknowledge and experience of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander agencies and leadersin the sector who provided their input to itsdrafting.

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Speak Up

CREATE Foundation are partnering withQATSICPP and other organisations for aSpeak Up Workshop in coming months.

Speak Up is a workshop that empowersyoung Aboriginal and/or Torres StraitIslander young people (who have a care

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experience) to grow in leadership, exploreculture and have a voice within the caresystem. Some of the young people whoattended the workshop last year have sharedtheir stories, hopes and concerns withprofessionals in the care sector, making adifference for other young people in care.

Do you know a young person with a careexperience who has important thoughtsto share? Pleasecontact andrew.foley@create.org.au or(07) 33176020 for more details.

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KEY PUBLICATIONS,RESOURCES & CONFERENCES

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including research articles, fundingopportunities, submissions and

consultations, conferences, events andtraining.

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Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderChild Protection Peak14 Horan Street West End 4101 QLD07 3102 4119

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