2. Content 1.Background on AbSec? 2.Keep Them Safe Projects 3.Intensive Family Based Services (IFBS) 4.Protecting Aboriginal Children Together (PACT)

3. What is the Aboriginal Child, Family & Community Care State Secretariat? Commonly referred to as ‘AbSec’ Peak Aboriginal organisation which provides Child Protection and out of home care policy advice in NSW to government and NGO’s Primary funder is Community Services (NSW)

4. AbSec Vision Statement Provide advocacy, assistance and support to Aboriginal children & young people; communities & organisations Some aspects include: Advocating on issues of concern to Aboriginal child and family agencies Advising government and agencies on Aboriginal child and family issues Providing Aboriginal communities with the goal of achieving self- determination & a safe, secure and caring environment for our children and young people Assisting Aboriginal organisations provide quality services for Aboriginal children and their families, extended families and communities Identifying training needs for carers, staff & management

5. AbSec Services Advocacy – primary role Project management eg Keep Them Safe Aboriginal State wide Foster Carer Support Service– an established service assisting carers of Aboriginal children. Casework support is not offered. Services rely on partnership development & maintenance; funding; communication & the sharing of relevant information to ensure service provision is accurate and informed.

6. Keep Them Safe Projects Wood Inquiry Recommendation 10.5 The Government will develop and trial intensive family preservation services and, if successful, will roll out these services state wide. “the number and range of family preservation services provided by NGO’s should be extended. This should include extending Intensive Family Based Services to Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal families’ Wood Inquiry Recommendation 8.5: NSW Government should develop a strategy to build capacity in Aboriginal organisations to enable one or more to take on a role similar to that of Lakidjeka Aboriginal Child Specialist Advice & Support Service (ACSASS). This means the service is to act as advisers to Community Services in relation to child protection matters.

7. What is Intensive Family Based Services (IFBS) ? Service that provides an intensive, time-limited (3 month), home based program for Aboriginal families in crisis Children are either at risk of entering OOHC placement or children are in OOHC and are to be restored with their families IFBS caseworkers assist families around life skills, parenting capacities, coping abilities and problem solving and appropriate community and service supports during and after intervention IFBS caseworkers are on-call to families 24 hrs a day, seven days a week

8. Background - Homebuilders The IFBS program is based on Homebuilders which was developed by The Institute for Family Development, Washington USA. The key characteristics of the Homebuilders Model include: Contact with the family within 24 hours of the crisis Small caseloads (2 cases per Caseworker) Flexible service – workers are available to families 24 hours a day, seven days a week Service duration of up to 12-16 weeks Service is intensive – the family receives up to 20 hours of service per week

9. What is the purpose of IFBS The purpose of IFBS is to help address the unreasonably high representation of Aboriginal clients in child protection and out-of- home care (approx. 30%) To apply an innovative and strengths-based approach to working with Aboriginal families To keep Aboriginal children safe at home with their families and communities To provide intensive support that regular caseworkers are unable to provide

10. Eligibility For a family to be deemed eligible for an IFBS intervention, they must be: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Have a completed secondary risk of harm assessment Be an open and allocated child protection case Willing to participate in program (at least one care giver) Subject to protective concerns and experiencing some form of crisis At risk of having a child/ren removed and placed into OOHC; or Have children returning home from an out-of-home placement (placement must be over 3 months); where restoration of the child/children with their family is identified as a case plan goal

11. AbSec’s Role with IFBS Establish four (4) new IFBS services in identified high- need areas across NSW Rolled out progressively from 2 to 5 years Work in partnership with Community Services Consult with relevant Aboriginal communities regarding services and identified potential sites/ locations

12. What is Lakidjeka ACSASS? The Aboriginal Child Specialist Advice and Support Service (ACSASS) is the specialist service to Child Protection Victoria about culturally appropriate intervention for Aboriginal children and young people alleged to be at risk of abuse or neglect. ACSASS ensures that involvement of Aboriginal community decision-making in relation to Aboriginal children and young people in child protection interventions are being met. ACSASS provide advice on any “significant decisions” that child protection make on an Aboriginal child or young person.

13. Protecting Aboriginal Children Together (PACT) Consultations have commenced with Aboriginal communities and service providers in the field of child protection to gather information regarding their operations and other pilot considerations. Consultations have commenced with peak Aboriginal bodies to gauge their views regarding the service framework and possible sites to consult with on a selective basis. A tender process will commence with communities around model and pilot agency Successful agency will be prepared for start by December 2010.

14. Protecting Aboriginal Children Together PACT A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between Community Services and AbSec re: KTS projects Peak agencies will be invited to participate in the Steering Committee, members will include : Aboriginal Affairs, NSW AECG, AHMRC, AHO, NSW ALC, NSW/ACT ALS, DADHC, DET, Dept of Health, NCOSS, Link-Up and Murdi Paaki & principal members of AbSec, ACWA and Community Services. AbSec staff commenced consultations to scope services, including Aboriginal organisations, non-government organisations and government agencies

15. Target group for PACT The target group for PACT is Aboriginal children and young people who have been reported to Community Services and are subject to a child protection intervention, including children on protective orders.

16. How will it operate? The PACT Aboriginal organisation will form a genuine shared decision-making partnership with Community Services and community members about the care and protection of Aboriginal children and young people When Community Services receives a risk of harm report about an Aboriginal child or young person, they will contact the PACT service delivery organisation and consult with PACT case workers in all significant decisions in the care and protection of that child.

17. AbSec KTS Staff Bill Pritchard – Chief Executive Officer Sam Joseph – Operations Manager Angela Webb – Senior Program Manager PACT Michelle Lester – Senior Program Manager IFBS Shelly Stewart – Project Assistant

18. THANK YOU Further information call (02) 9264 0088 or 1800 888 698 www.absec.org.au