Realising Aboriginal Community Controlled Approaches to Child Reunification
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11227869 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bj Newton (0000-0003-2299-4029, Social Policy Research Centre UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia, corresponding author), Paul Gray (0000-0002-3090-2596, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research University of Technology Sydney Ultimo New South Wales Australia), Kathleen Falster (0000-0003-2035-5485, Faculty of Health and Medicine, School of Population Health UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia), Ilan Katz (0000-0001-9002-0205, Social Policy Research Centre UNSW Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia), Kyllie Cripps (0000-0002-9193-4153, Monash Indigenous Studies Centre Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Journal of Social Issues (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0157-6321 • E-ISSN: 1839-4655 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajs4.70065 |
| OpenAlex | W4413876482 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Reunification rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‐of‐home care (OOHC) in Australia are critically low, even though reunification is the preferred permanency outcome for children following removal, and despite a range of mechanisms and strategies ostensibly to support effective reunification. To better understand the barriers to reunification of Aboriginal children, from the perspective of practitioners, nine practitioner forums were conducted online with 84 participants (46 who identified as Aboriginal) working in OOHC and reunification from across NSW between February and June 2023. Participants represented government, non‐government, and Aboriginal organisations delivering reunification programmes to Aboriginal families through the NSW Permanency Support Programme. The study found that distinct service responses are required for Aboriginal children on different statutory orders, and that perceiving reunification from Aboriginal community approaches that focus on ongoing family and cultural connections and holistic family support is critical for successful and sustainable reunification. The paper suggested implications from the research, including a conceptual reimagining of permanency and reunification for Aboriginal children and families
Criminology · Political science · Project commissioning · Publishing · Sociology · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma
Te Rito o Te Harakeke
Community-Based Participatory Research (Cbpr) with Indigenous Communities
Attempting to operationalize a multi-dimensional definition of permanency in child welfare practice
Trauma then and now
First Nations parenting and child reunification
We Live and Breathe Through Culture”
First Nations Children and Families and Permanency Planning Reform
Resistance to Assimilation
Caseworkers' insights and experiences with successful reunification
An evaluation of the racial equity of the actuarial Family risk assessment instrument used in Queensland, Australia
Family inclusion in child protection
Comparative analysis of third‐party permanency orders legislation in Australia
Working toward reunification in New South Wales
Improving Reunification Practice
Restoring Children From Out‐of‐Home Care
Reconciling community-based Indigenous research and academic practices
| Highly cited | No |
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