This Review is aimed at examining the high rates of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) in New South Wales (NSW) and the implementation of the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (ACPP) in this jurisdiction. As required by the Terms of Reference, the Review involved, among other things, an analysis of policies and practices relating to Aboriginal children in OOHC, community consultations and public submissions, and a detailed examination of the circumstances of the 1,144 Aboriginal children who entered OOHC in NSW between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016. This case file review process generated a significant amount of qualitative data about ‘on-the-ground’ casework practice in respect to Aboriginal children and families in contact with the child protection system. Examples of this casework practice, and more fulsome case studies, are dispersed throughout this report to provide vivid, real-life illustrations of themes and issues that arose during the Review.
