Family and Kin Program
Family and Kin Program
Our Family and Kin Care program, which started in 2018, was the first of its kind in the Northern Territory, and has grown from strength to strength.
Family and Kin Care is formally recognised across all Australian jurisdictions as the preferred placement option for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The right of a child who has been removed from their home to be placed with a member of their family network whenever safe to do so is enshrined in legislation as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP).
We have advocated tirelessly over many years around Family and Kin Care in the NT, and have been instrumental in driving systemic reform in the area of adherence to the ATSICPP. In 2019 our program success and significant expertise resulted in our locally-developed ‘Children Safe, Family Together’ model being formally adopted by Territory Families. A robust Family and Kin Care Model, it will be implemented over a five year period.
Download your free copy of ‘Children Safe, Family Together’.
In 2020 our Family and Kin Care program expanded to provide comprehensive services across all four phases ‘Children Safe, Family Together’. These services include family finding services, carer assessment and approval, placement establishment and ongoing placement support.
We can help with:
- Finding family for Aboriginal children who are not able to live with their parents;
- Keeping children connected with family, language and culture;
- Increasing the number of approved Family and Kin carers and placements;
- Ensuring placements are set up to succeed;
- Increasing the sustainability of approved Family and Kin carers and placements through provision of ongoing support; and
- Raising the profile of Family and Kin Care as a placement type and in doing so increase the number of Aboriginal general and respite carers.
Our Family and Kin Care program ensures that family finding can start where needed for children on our IFPS caseload and for all children placed into our Safe Houses, through processes of parallel planning. We accept referrals from Territory Families for Family and Kin Care services, and can also accept referrals from both families and service providers for family finding and ongoing support of placements. Our referral forms can be found here.
If you would like to hear more about our services, or to discuss a referral, contact us on (08) 8951 4226.
Geoff Shaw with children