Page 925 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2018
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with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, their families, carers and communities, the community sector and the child protection workforce. As the terms of reference state:
There are high expectations from the community that this review will lead with self-determination and deliver a break in the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage by ensuring children are able to stay connected to culture and community throughout their life.
The steering committee will deliver a preliminary report later this year. A final report is due in September 2019. The reason for the time line for the review is that the review methodology is based on in-depth case analysis. We cannot rush this complex work. We are seeking to address a challenge that reflects the impacts of intergenerational trauma resulting from past practices that saw Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people displaced and disconnected from family, community and culture. As other jurisdictions have recognised, it may take a generation to close the gap that this history has created. But we must act now.
The ACT government is committed to reducing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out of home care and we will not stand still while Our Booris, Our Way is underway. We will continue to implement early intervention and prevention strategies while this work is underway, in close collaboration with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. This includes the early intervention work that is built into our out of home care reform strategy, A step up for our kids.
It also includes piloting the restorative practice of family group conferencing in partnership with the Aboriginal owned organisation Curijo, empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to find solutions to the challenges they face and keep their children safe at home. Curijo is a Canberra-based, Aboriginal-operated organisation with extensive experience in family group conference facilitation and also currently conducting family group conferences in New South Wales. As Belinda Kendall, CEO of Curijo, has explained:
Family Group Conferencing enables families to take responsibility for their situation while providing children and young people the opportunity to be heard.
In closing, I would like to express my thanks to Ms Causon and to the other members of the steering committee for their willingness to devote their time and expertise to this critically important review. The steering committee’s first communique was circulated on 16 March 2018 to stakeholders including members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The communique and terms of reference developed by the steering committee will be available shortly. I look forward to the findings from Our Booris, Our Way and will keep the Assembly updated as this vital work progresses.
I present the following paper:
Our Booris, Our Way—Ministerial statement, 22 March 2018.
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