Australian Indigenous Communities and Out-of-home Care: Models of Best Practice

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Authors

Dr Daryl Higgins, N Richardson, Leah Bromfield

Speaker

Dr Daryl Higgins

Organisation

National Child Protection Clearinghouse,
at the Australian Institute of Family studies,
Melbourne, Australia

The aim of this research project was to identify models of best practice in Australian indigenous communities. Various types of out-of-home care were examined. A wide range of perspectives was canvassed. Data have been gathered through extensive consultation with local Aboriginal and Torres strait islander communities and child care agencies from each state and territory. This involved interviewing or conducting focus groups with over 80 individuals and organisations in each state/territory. Key stakeholders were identified, and the perspectives of indigenous young people in care, and of their carers - both indigenous and non-indigenous - were explored. in addition focus groups were conducted with young people and with carers in two states. Valuable in-depth qualitative data revealed a variety of models for caring for Aboriginal children in the child protection system. For young people, the importance of connection to family and community and participation in cultural activities was emphasised. Key topics that will be discussed include: enhancing recruitment, assessment, training, support and retention of indigenous carers, services for children, and key elements of successful placements.

Biography

Dr Daryl Higgins
Dr Daryl Higgins, Senior Research Fellow, manages the National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian institute of Family studies. He is a psychologist, and has been researching various aspects of child maltreatment and family violence for more than 12 years. Daryl completed his Phd in 1998 on the topic of "multi-type maltreatment" - looking at the overlap between the various forms of child abuse and neglect, and their relationship to psychological adjustment problems in the immediate and long term. Daryl has been the recipient of a number of research grants and has published widely on the topics of child maltreatment, family functioning and family violence. He has edited one book and been sole or joint author of two reports, three book chapters, and more than 20 articles in peer-review journals. He has presented his research to a variety of conferences internationally.