Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Training

About the program

The objective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle training is to assist workers who provide case management and other supports to families with child protection concerns in gaining a better understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle’s scope and increase their capacity to effectively implement its five elements (Prevention, Placement, Participation, Partnership and Connection).

Overview of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle recognises the importance of connections to family, community, culture and country in child and family welfare legislation, policy and practice, and asserts that self-determining communities are central to supporting and maintaining those connections.

The Child Placement Principle aims to:

• ensure an understanding that culture underpins and is integral to the safety and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and is embedded in policy and practice
• recognise and protect the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, family members and communities in child welfare matters
• increase the level of self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in child welfare matters
• reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in child protection and out-of-home care systems.

The adoption of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle in legislation, policy and practice across states and territories has been recognised as the most significant change affecting welfare practice since the 1970s. It was established in 1984 as a result of years of activism by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ACCOs and others to address the growing disproportionate rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being adopted by or placed in out-of-home care with non-Indigenous carers, as well as to prevent past practises from continuing or being repeated.