The disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people is a pervasive feature of statutory child protection systems across all jurisdictions in Australia.
It is perhaps our greatest challenge and contemporary injustice.
It is clear from the Our Way Strategy and the significant reform agenda pursued under the action plans, that the Queensland Government is firmly committed to reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care.
In August 2021, we released the Principle Focus: A child-rights approach to systemic accountability for the safety and wellbeing of Queensland’s First Nations children and committed to monitor and examine the dynamics and drivers of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people across Queensland’s child protection system.
To increase accountability and transparency, the QFCC has released its Principle Focus dashboard. The dashboard involves in-depth, rights-based analysis of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) implementation across the system and draws on a state and regional data.
The Principle Focus emphasises that reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care will require:
- exits to exceed entries
- a reduction in the duration of time children spend in care
- a short-term focus on reunification to increase exits from out-of-home care
- a long-term focus on reunification to reduce duration of time in out-of-home care.
Please note: The Dashboard is best viewed on PC and viewed at full screen.