The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle indicators

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: A person of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

child: Unless otherwise stated, a young person aged 0–17. For some states and territories, this includes unborn children.

cultural support plan: An individualised, dynamic written plan or a support agreement that aims to develop or maintain children or young people’s cultural identity through connection to family, community and culture. Cultural support plans help to ensure that planning and decision–making are culturally appropriate and in the best interests of the child. A current cultural support plan is one that has been approved and/or reviewed within the previous 12 months.

family: Includes parent/guardian, sibling, and other relative or kin.

family group home: A home for children provided by a department or community-sector agency that has live-in, non-salaried carers who are reimbursed and/or subsidised for the provision of care.

independent living: Accommodation including private board and lead tenant households.

Indigenous: See Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Indigenous relative or kin care: An out-of-home care placement type where the household contains an Indigenous caregiver who was a relative or who had a kinship relationship with the child.

Indigenous status: The status of a person who identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and is accepted as such by the community in which they live. See also Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and unknown Indigenous status.

non-Indigenous: A person who has not been identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent; this excludes people of unknown Indigenous status.

non-Indigenous relative or kin care: An out-of-home care placement type where the household contains a non-Indigenous caregiver (or a caregiver of unknown Indigenous status) who was a relative or who had a kinship relationship with the child.

other care arrangement: Out-of-home care placements that include non-Indigenous carers who are not relatives or kin, residential care, family group homes or independent living.

other Indigenous caregiver: An out-of-home care placement type where the household contains an Indigenous caregiver who was not a relative and did not have a kinship relationship with the child.

other non-Indigenous caregiver: An out-of-home care placement type where the household contains a non-Indigenous caregiver who was not a relative and did not have a kinship relationship with the child.

out-of-home care: Overnight care for children aged under 18 for whom there is ongoing case management and financial payment (including where a financial payment has been offered but has been declined by the carer). 

placement type: The type of care in which a child in out-of-home care was living. Also referred to as a living arrangement. See also Indigenous relative or kin care, non‑Indigenous relative or kin care, other care arrangement, other Indigenous caregiver, other non-Indigenous caregiver, residential care, family group home, and independent living.

preferred placement: the placements numbered one (with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or non-Indigenous relatives or extended family members/kin), 2 (with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the child’s community) and 3 (with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family-based carers) in the placement hierarchy.

reunification: A planned process of safely returning and enabling a child to remain at home with their birth parent(s), family, or former guardian after a period of time in care when it is in the child’s best interests to do so, and where it will safeguard the child’s long-term stability and permanency. In practice, reunification tends to be nearly exclusively with birth parents. Also known as restoration.

residential care: A type of care where the placement is in a residential building whose purpose is to provide placements for children, and where there are paid staff.

unknown Indigenous status: Describes people whose Indigenous status was unknown.