Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle New South Wales 2025
Executive Summary
Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle New South Wales 2025 reviews the progress of the New South Wales (NSW) Government, primarily through the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), towards implementing the full intent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (the Child Placement Principle). Recent changes in law, policy and practice are examined, with a focus on the five interrelated elements of the Child Placement Principle: Prevention, Partnership, Placement, Participation and Connection.
The NSW Government’s inaction in implementing critical child safety and wellbeing reforms is undermining efforts to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection in NSW. Current projections suggest that Target 12 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement), which aims to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia by 45% by 2031, is unlikely to be achieved, including in NSW (SNAICC, 2024). A substantial and immediate overhaul of child protection systems and practices is essential to reverse this trajectory.
For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities have raised happy, healthy and resilient children who enjoy strong connections to culture. However, the catastrophic and ongoing impacts of colonisation and systemic racism have created an environment of extreme and sustained risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, and this is evidenced by the increased likelihood of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing lower socio-economic outcomes than those of the general population.
Despite only constituting 7.8% of 10-17-year-olds in NSW, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are significantly over-represented in child protection systems. As of 30 June 2024, 43.5% of children in OOHC and other supported placements were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, making them 9.2 times more likely than their non-Indigenous peers to be in OOHC (SNAICC, 2024). Despite this, only 5.5% of child protection funding was invested in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) in 2022-23 and only 13.4% of child protection funding was invested in providing early and preventative supports to vulnerable families (SNAICC, 2024).
The NSW Government’s commitment to the National Agreement, which aims to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children in OOHC by 45% by 2031, is informed by the Child Placement Principle which aims to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families impacted by the child protection system maintain connections to their family, community, culture and Country, promoting their wellbeing and resilience. Further, the government’s partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders under the Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031 (Safe and Supported) includes a commitment to implementing the Child Placement Principle to the standard of active efforts.
To address the persistent and systemic failures to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in NSW, it is imperative that the NSW Government takes immediate action. The introduction of substantial and targeted reforms, in alignment with the five elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, is essential.
Please note: We have updated the way our reviews are structured. Previously, reviews were categorised by specific review periods. They are now titled by year and include all relevant developments up to that point in time. This change provides a clearer, more comprehensive snapshot of progress and updates within each release year.