Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Western Australia 2025

Executive Summary

Reviewing Implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Western Australia 2025 reviews the progress of the Western Australian Government, primarily through the Department of Communities (the Department), 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.

In 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people made up 7.3% of the population of children aged 0–17 in WA but accounted for 56% of children in out-of-home care (OOHC) (SCRGSP 2025, tables 16A.42 and 16A.4). This disparity results in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA being 17.8 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in OOHC and other supported placements, the highest over-representation in Australia. During 2022-23 in WA, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children made up 58% of children in OOHC, and 47% of substantiated claims of abuse or neglect (SNAICC 2024). Despite this, only 3% of child protection funding was invested in ACCOs (SNAICC 2024). 

The WA Government’s commitment to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (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, as it 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. 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) embodies a commitment to implementing the Child Placement Principle to the standard of active efforts. 

In 2022, SNAICC was funded by the Department and collaborated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, leaders and ACCOs in WA to develop a 10-Year WA Roadmap (WA Roadmap) aimed at reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC and ensuring compliance with the Child Placement Principle. The draft WA Roadmap and First Action Plan were submitted to the WA Government in September 2023 for review and consideration. 

While the draft WA Roadmap and first Action Plan have not been published, the Department has informed SNAICC that they are implementing changes to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care, aligned to: 

• the recommended actions in the draft WA Roadmap,
• feedback from the Aboriginal Community during the WA Roadmap consultations, and
• feedback from the WA Aboriginal community led by different Aboriginal consultants associated with specific reforms, such as the OOHC and earlier intervention and family support recommissioning processes, and consultations associated with the Aboriginal Cultural Capability Reform program.    

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.