Strategy and action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families

 

Guided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives Our Way: A generational strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families (PDF) outlines our approach spanning 20 years to improve life opportunities for Queensland’s vulnerable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families by working together differently.

Our Way is a key commitment in Supporting Families, Changing Futures and represents a fundamental shift in how child protection, family support and other services work with – and for – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

Our Way strategy

In 2017 we partnered with Family Matters Queensland to develop a strategy to eliminate the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the child protection system and improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

To achieve this, Our Way (PDF) was developed with a vision that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland grow up safe and cared for in family, community and culture.

Our Way articulates a three-staged approach to achieving our vision:

Changing Tracks
Changing Tracks: an action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families 2017-2019 (PDF, 4.9 MB) 2017-2019 (DOCX, 4.3 MB) and 2020-2022 (PDF, 4.9 MB) 2020-2022 (DOCX, 4.3 MB) set the foundation for change focusing on the systems and policy settings required to achieve the Our Way vision.

Breaking Cycles
Breaking Cycles will change the way services are designed and delivered to break the cycle of intergenerational disadvantage.

Hitting Targets
Hitting Targets will focus on a further incremental approach to reach targets.

The Our Way vision will be achieved when:

  • all families enjoy access to quality, culturally safe universal and targeted services necessary for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to thrive
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations participate in – and have control over – decisions that affect their children
  • law, policy and practice in child and family welfare are culturally safe and responsive
  • governments and community services are accountable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Breaking Cycles 2023–2025

Breaking Cycles consultation finding reports

The Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs (DCYJMA), in partnership with Family Matters Queensland (FMQ), the Queensland First Children and Families Board and Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP), is co-designing Breaking Cycles 2023–2031, the second implementation phase of the Our Way strategy.

Breaking Cycles builds on the successes, learnings and foundations set under Changing Tracks: An action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families 2017–2022, the first Our Way implementation phase, and focusses on changing the way services are co-designed, co-developed, and delivered for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families by government and non-government organisations.

In March 2022, QATSICPP, in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations, undertook community consultation across Queensland. At the same time DCYJMA partnered with independent facilitator, Kristal Kinsela Consulting Pty Ltd to consult with Queensland Government agencies and non-Indigenous peak organisations.

Significant levels of engagement occurred during consultations:

  • 950 participants were engaged through strategies involving 11 partner organisations and 25 communities across Queensland
  • 69 individuals from 8 government agency partners
  • 9 individuals from 7 non-Indigenous peak organisations
  • 5 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak organisations
  • 13 individuals from the FMQ leadership group.

The Breaking Cycles Flagship Forum was also held in October 2022 and brought together 150 participants from government, community, and the sector to agree on priority areas of focus, what success looks like for Breaking Cycles and proposed actions.

The community consultation report (PDF, 932 KB) community consultation report (DOCX, 776 KB)and Breaking Cycles flagship forum finding report (PDF, 2.2 MB) Breaking Cycles flagship forum finding report (DOCX, 3.5 MB) provide good insight into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aspirations and the actions needed to break the cycle of disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection.

Delegated authority

Delegated authority transforms how child protection responses (services) are delivered to develop culturally safe and responsive ways of protecting children. Delegated authority represents a significant opportunity for positive change and as such, is a high priority action under Our Way (PDF) and supports efforts towards Closing the Gap and implementation of Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s children 2021—2031.

Delegated authority implementation is part of several processes aimed to improve the outcomes for and address the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system.

Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs and Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP) have partnered to develop a 10 year blueprint for implementing delegated authority in Queensland.

Reclaiming our storyline: Transforming systems and practice by making decisions in our way (PDF, 1.1 MB) outlines the process and actions to be undertaken to progress this new way of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. This blueprint also signals the shared vision and objectives surrounding this approach, which respectfully considers the readiness, priorities and needs of local communities. It is a long-term plan for shifting the decision making and delivery of child protection functions and powers to the individuals and organisations that know children and families best. The approach recognises that the change process is complex and will take a sustained commitment from the department and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander entities to work together in new ways.

 

Changing Tracks 2020–2022

The key priorities of Changing Tracks: an action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families 2020-2022 (PDF, 4.9 MB) Changing Tracks: an action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families 2020-2022 (DOCX, 4.3 MB) include:

  • growing investment in community-controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services and their workforce to better reflect the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing these services
  • implementing delegated authority to permit one or more of the Chief Executive’s statutory functions or powers under the Child Protection Act 1999 to be delegated to the Chief Executive of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entity
  • all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families will have the opportunity to participate in child protection decisions that affect their lives including through an independent person or entity and the Family Participation Program
  • applying the Wellbeing Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people (PDF, 179 KB) to ensure their safety and wellbeing through appropriately targeted investment and strengthened accountability of government and service providers
  • supporting the development and implementation of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing strategy to address intergenerational trauma, grief, loss, violence and abuse
  • supporting national Family Matters in the call for a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s strategy, overseen by an independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commissioner.

Changing Tracks 2017–2019

Some of the key achievements of Changing Tracks: an action plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families 2017-2019 (PDF) include:

Wellbeing Outcomes Framework

Winangali Pty Ltd was commissioned to develop the Wellbeing Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland (PDF, 2.3 MB) Wellbeing Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland (DOCX, 5.4 MB) (WOF) and accompanying Wellbeing Outcomes Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in Queensland A3 schematic (PDF, 179 KB) in partnership with community.

The WOF defines wellbeing and identifies the outcomes needed to achieve wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Optimum wellbeing means that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people can have hopes and dreams for the future and the best start in all aspects of their life.

The WOF is underpinned by the expectation that all adults have a responsibility to contribute to the wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. It helps each level of adult influence:

  • parents, family, kin and carers
  • community and service providers
  • government

understand what role they must play in ensuring the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

Application of the WOF will inform policy development and decision making to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. The outcomes identified in the WOF will become the consistent outcomes against which all Queensland Government agency programs and initiatives – intended to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people – are measured.

The WOF will be used to inform development of indicators and measures for monitoring and evaluation of the Our Way strategy and its associated action plans.

Monitoring and Evaluation

In June 2020, the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs engaged Deloitte, Murawin and the Social Research Centre to conduct an independent evaluation of Our Way, Changing Tracks action plans. The Final Evaluation Report was released in late July 2022 and is now available.

The independent evaluation of Our Way Changing Tracks included:

The Our Way Changing Tracks Evaluation Final Report, the Theory of Change and Program Logic are being considered in conjunction with the extensive consultations currently underway across government, the sector and community to inform the co-design of Breaking Cycles 2023–2025.

Reporting so far

Each year, an Annual Progress Report is released by the Queensland First Children and Families Board. These progress reports highlight how key actions are being implemented as we work towards the long-term Our Way vision: