Page 3310 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 October 2022
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families. It is a longer term strategy and we know the evidence base will continue to evolve. The strategy has scope to adjust to the changing landscape.
One of the first things we are doing right now is commissioning a new residential care provider to deliver therapeutical residential care, including intensive therapeutic care, for those young people who have the greatest level of complexity and are not able to live with foster or kinship carers. Madam Speaker, every child in this system will have different circumstances, different needs and a different experience. But under Next Steps where a child is facing risks of neglect in their family home their parents will be better supported to engage in the services they need before the family reaches crisis point. A child who has experienced a break down in the safety of their family will have greater access to family-led decision making, meaning they will be more likely to be supported in a way that draws from their natural family network and makes use of kinship care arrangements and the strength of their broader community. A child in foster or kinship care will see their carer better able to access practical and wellbeing support. Carers will have a better understanding of their rights through a charter of rights with the benefits this brings to the carer flowing through to the child or young person. Importantly, an Aboriginal child engaged in the system will be more likely to receive support and services from an Aboriginal community controlled organisation and will have access and advocacy from the commissioner.
MR PETTERSSON: Minister, how do you envisage the role of Aboriginal community controlled organisations will grow and change, and how will this improve outcomes for First Nations children and families.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: Thank you Mr Pettersson for the supplementary. One of the most important priorities and the first domain under Next Steps is Our Booris, Our Way, the work we are doing to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the child protection system and to improve the experiences of families if they are engaged in statutory services. The response to Our Booris, Our Way is embedded in Next Steps but will also continue to be delivered alongside it and be accountable to the Implementation Oversight Committee. The strategy will support the development of Aboriginal community controlled organisations in the child and family support space with a view towards transitioning responsibility for case management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to an Aboriginal community controlled organisation over time. The government is committed to transitioning funding to Aboriginal community controlled organisations for early support and diversionary services as a priority. Our work to support ACCO development under Next Steps also supports our commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2019-2028, and our Labor election commitments.
We have already been having discussions with existing and emerging ACCOs and there is enthusiasm in the sector around building new partnerships. Indeed the government has worked with emerging organisation Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation to provide seed funding that will enable the organisation to hire an establishing CEO and take steps towards becoming a registered care and protection organisation in the ACT. Yerrabi Yurwang has committed to a range of performance indicators including undertaking ORIC training and developing
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