Cultural support plan

Graphs

Proportion of Indigenous children subject to ongoing intervention with a cultural support plan, as at 30 June 2011 Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children subject to ongoing intervention with a cultural support plan, as at 30 June 2020

YearCultural support plan recordedNo cultural support case plan yet recorded
2010-11 94 % 6%

Table

DescriptionAnnualQuarterly
CSP.1: Number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children subject to ongoing intervention with a cultural support plan, Queensland Excel (XLSX, 15 KB) Excel (CSV, 3 KB) Excel (XLSX, 15 KB) Excel (CSV, 4 KB)

What is a cultural support plan?

A cultural support plan is developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are subject to ongoing intervention. It aims to keep children connected to their culture, families and communities regardless of where they are living.

Cultural support plans are reviewed in conjunction with the regular review of the case plan.

Why this topic is important

The cultural support plan is a key part of the case planning process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It is a tool that can:

  • help nurture and support children to strengthen their cultural identities and connection to what it means to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
  • assist with their understanding of their community networks and cultural heritage
  • assist children to increase their knowledge and understanding of their place in their family, kinship and community structure
  • identify the supports required for the carer, if applicable, to meet the child’s cultural needs.

As at 30 June 2020, there were 5,715 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children subject to ongoing intervention. Of these, 5,414 or 94.7 per cent had a cultural support plan recorded. This is a 2.4 percentage point increase from 92.3 per cent as at 30 June 2019.

Of those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children subject to ongoing intervention with a cultural support plan, 4,810 children were in the custody or guardianship of the chief executive or subject to intervention with parental agreement and required regular reviews of their cultural support plan. Of these, 4,333 (90.1 per cent) had a current cultural support plan (i.e. either initially created in the last six months or reviewed in the last six months).

There are a number of valid reasons why an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child subject to ongoing intervention may not have a cultural support plan recorded on a particular reference date. These include instances where the case plan:

  • has not yet been developed. A collaborative family decision making process is required to develop a case plan. This process must be held within 30 days of the decision a child is in need of protection, or within the timeframe set by the court on an adjournment. For example, it would be legitimate for a child who enters ongoing intervention on 5 June to not yet have a case plan and therefore a cultural support plan approved and recorded by 30 June.
  • has been developed, but is not yet recorded.
  • has been completed and recorded, but is yet to be approved.