Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Tasmania 2025
Executive Summary
Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Tasmania 2025 reviews the progress of the Tasmanian Government, primarily through the Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP), 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 Principle: Prevention, Partnership, Placement, Participation and Connection.
In Tasmania, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were significantly over-represented in all aspects of child protection systems during 2023-24, including in out-of-home care (OOHC). Despite accounting for only 11.4% of 0-17-year-olds (AIHW 2024b, Table P4), 40.4% of children in OOHC and other supported placements were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander as of June 2024; a rate of 36.6 per 1,000, compared to 6.8 per 1,000 for non-Indigenous children (AIHW 2024b, Table T3). This means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Tasmania were 5.4 times more likely than their non-Indigenous peers to be in OOHC and other supported placements.
The Tasmanian Government’s commitment to 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 OOHC by 45% by 2031, is informed by the Child Placement Principle which aims to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC maintain connections to their family, community, culture, and Country, promoting their wellbeing and resilience. Central to this work is the realisation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination, and this requires immediate and targeted action to fully implement the Child Placement Principle
As identified by the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (Commission of Inquiry), urgent reforms are needed to progress sustainable funding for Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs), culturally informed practices across government agencies, and legislative reforms to support the implementation of the Child Placement Principle. Reforms also include establishing an independent Tasmania Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People to ensure oversight and accountability, and to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system. Further, significant data gaps continue to exist in Tasmania, with continued inability to publicly report on the number of Aboriginal Tasmanian children commencing IFSS, or the number of Family Group Conferences (FGCs) held for Aboriginal children, limiting accountability and transparency.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings
Recent child safety reforms in Tasmania are being driven and monitored through the Government’s response to the landmark final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (Commission of Inquiry). Released in December 2023, Keeping Children Safe and Rebuilding Trust outlines the Tasmanian Government’s plan to implement all 191 recommendations of the Commission of Inquiries’ final report, including Recommendation 9.15, which calls for the full implementation of the Child Placement Principle. The Tasmanian Government has accepted this recommendation and committed to implementing the Child Placement Principle by 2029, with the Department of Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) leading this reform (Tasmanian Government 2023a). However, this commitment does not acknowledge the government’s existing commitments under Safe and Supported: First Action Plan for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families, which includes similar or identical actions that are required to be delivered by 2026. Aligning these commitments and clarifying timeframes for the realisation of these critical actions is urgently necessary to promote action and accountability for improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
To ensure transparency, the government has launched the Keeping Children Safe website, where the public can track the status of Commission of Inquiry recommendations (Tasmanian Government 2023b). Additionally, the planned Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People and the recently appointed Child Safety Reform Implementation Monitor will oversee reforms and report to Parliament on progress.
In line with Recommendation 9.15, a Keeping Children Safe Reform Unit has been established within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (Tasmanian Government 2024b). Additionally, the Youth Justice Reform Taskforce aims to work with ACCOs to implement a range of early intervention, prevention and diversion programs and options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. Further, Tasmania’s Plan for Closing the Gap 2025-2028 includes an action to increase and dedicate funding for Aboriginal-led strategies to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children safe, in the care of their families, and connected to community, culture and Country. This includes partnering with Tasmania’s Coalition of Peaks and recognised ACCOs to progress the transfer of responsibility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child safety to the ACCO sector, as outlined in the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s (TAC) Nukara Strategy and Action Plan (2025).
Furthermore, the 2024-25 Tasmanian Government Budget provided funding of $1.69 million over four years to support the implementation of the Child Placement Principle (Tasmanian Government 2024b). This funding is to enable the tailoring of assessments, placement, and care planning to address the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It also enables the establishment of the role of Executive Director for Aboriginal Children and Young People. A key priority of the reform is to establish partnerships with ACCOs to enable equal participation and shared decision-making. However, ACCO sector leaders (represented through TAC) have not been involved in any discussions regarding these positions and remain unclear on how these roles, as proposed within government, will contribute meaningfully to achieving the intent of Recommendation 9.15. Instead, consideration could be given to revising the funding to support implementation of all actions under Recommendation 9.15 and the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan.
In June 2024, the Tasmanian Government also introduced the Change for Children Strategy, Tasmania’s 10-year strategy for upholding the rights of children by preventing, identifying and responding to child sexual abuse. A key focus is strengthening government partnerships with the Aboriginal community, including commitments to:
- establish a whole-of-government service to support agencies build partnerships, engaging in shared decision making and transforming practices with Tasmanian Aboriginal people,
- developing a shared Engagement Framework and Toolkit for government agencies to ensure consistency in engagement and consultation with Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and
- deliver professional learning and capacity-building programs for Tasmanian Government agencies as part of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (Tasmanian Government 2024c, p.48).
The final progress report for the Strong Families Safe Kids Action Plan 2021-23, delivered in December 2024, confirmed reforms would continue as part of the response to the Commission of Inquiry (DECYP 2024b).
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.