National Agreement on Closing the Gap

In reply to the Hon. C. BONAROS ().20 March 2025).

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Deputy Premier, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State): The Minister for Child Protection has advised:

Significant efforts continue to be made by the Department for Child Protection to improve outcomes against target 12 of the Closing the Gap framework. We are seeing results with the growth rate of the Aboriginal in-care population dropping from 13.1 per cent in 2019-20 to 2.3 per cent in 2024-25, after seeing no growth at all in 2023-24.

The Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Act 2025 embeds the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle to the standard of active efforts, requiring that steps taken must be timely, practicable, thorough and purposeful, consistent with the explanation provided by SNAICC. Part 4 of the new act further:

requires active efforts be made to explore reunification between an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child or young person and their parents;

embeds the principle of family-led decision-making in legislation, including the requirement to promote self-determination, participation and shared decision-making;

mandates that regard be given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child rearing practices when considering the best interests of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child or young person; and

enables the progressive delegation of authority to Aboriginal entities, supporting greater self-determination and cultural-specific service delivery through the use of ACCOs and Aboriginal organisations across the sector.

The government further continues its significant investment in family group conferencing as another mechanism through which safety can be achieved through family-led decision-making, with the 2023-24 state budget allocating an additional $13.4 million to expand family group conferencing services, including culturally specific offerings to Aboriginal families in partnership with AFSS.

Further initiatives continue to achieve positive outcomes in supporting Aboriginal children and young people to transition from residential care into family-based care placements. In partnership with Kornar Winmil Yunti (KWY), the Finding Families program recognises the importance of Aboriginal children being connected to family, culture, country and community.

Understanding the importance of privileging the voices of Aboriginal children and young people and to learn from their experiences and insights, as part of the 2022-23 budget, the government invested $3.2 million over five years to support the establishment of Wakwakurna Kanyini the peak body for Aboriginal children and young people.

The peak, along with representatives from SAACCON and key government agencies, as members of the Child Protection Subcommittee of the South Australian Partnership Committee on Closing the Gap, will be critical partners in co-designing the department's ongoing reform work to progress achievements towards target 12.

The subcommittee, formed under the SA Closing the Gap governance structure, provides a dedicated, cross-agency focus on enabling Aboriginal-led governance, decision-making and service delivery across the child protection and family support system.

Since June 2024, the department has entered into a memorandum of understanding with SAACCON to co-design policy and place-based initiatives to address the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in care.

The government recognises that delivering genuine and lasting change requires a deliberate shift in how we support Aboriginal children and families. The government continues its reform efforts and continues to drive key initiatives to address the rate of Aboriginal over-representation as part of our steadfast commitment to making meaningful advancements towards the achievement of target 12.