Supporting kinship carers in the the ACT

Investigators

Associate Professor Tim Moore, Dr Sebastian Trew, Alex Cahill (Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University); Bill Pritchard, Vicki Barton (Curijo)

Funding

ACT Community Services Directorate

Aims

• Capture the lived experiences of kinship carers and identify their needs and priorities.
• Assess current services for kinship carers in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), focusing on gaps, strengths, and areas for improvement.
• Explore practices in other Australian jurisdictions to develop culturally safe, responsive support for kinship carers.

Background

Children are sometimes removed from their biological parents due to safety or welfare concerns, requiring placement with foster or kinship carers, or in residential care. Kinship care, especially for Aboriginal children placed with non-Aboriginal kin or away from their traditional lands, necessitates strong cultural support to maintain connections. However, kinship carers face significant challenges, including financial insecurity, limited support, and issues with planning and coordination, often leaving them under-served and under-resourced.

Project details

The ACT Community Services Directorate engaged a team from the Institute of Child Protection Studies and from Curijo Pty Ltd to understand the needs of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal kinship carers in the ACT and what they, those working with them and the evidence tells us about 'what works' in kinship care support.

Research questions

• Engagement with child protection: How do kinship carers currently interact with child protection and welfare systems, and what are their experiences and needs, especially for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal carers?
• Accessibility and service gaps: What services are available to ACT kinship carers, and what gaps exist? How do experiences in other states compare, particularly regarding cross-jurisdictional issues like NSW service access?
• Effective approaches: What effective support practices have been identified in other jurisdictions, and how could these inform the development of a culturally safe service model in the ACT?

Method

• Conducted interviews and focus groups with carers
• Conducted a scoping review and consultations with the ACT sector
• Consultations with Australian colleagues
• Conducted a workshop with carers
• Developed an ACT kinship care support model

Findings

Our findings with carers confirmed research from existing literature that supports for carers are more likely to be taken up and valued when they are:

• culturally safe
• strengthen cultural connection
• embed support and maintain carers' links to the community
• sustain carers' and children's connection to country.

To learn more about how kinship carers are understood and supported in other jurisdictions as well as 'what works' in kinship care support we met formally and informally with policy makers, practitioners and researchers from across the country.

Publications

Moore, T., Trew, S., Pritchard, B., Barton, V., & Cahill, A. (2023). Stepping back from the edge: Improving Supports for Family Members Caring for Children in the ACT. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University; Curijo.

Trew, S., Moore, T., Pritchard, B., & Barton, V. (2023). It shouldn't be a battle - we need support: Kinship Carers' Needs and Engagement with Services in the ACT. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University; Curijo.

Project timeline

Completed 2023

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au