Cultural connections

Supporting a child’s connection to their culture is a vital part of fostering, especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. At the heart of our approach is respect for the deep cultural, historical, and spiritual ties that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have with the land, their families, and their traditions. We’re committed to ensuring these connections remain strong for children in care, as they are essential to their identity, self-esteem, and emotional well-being.

Our cultural support workers and resources are here to help foster carers navigate this journey. Together, we can ensure every child in care has the opportunity to stay connected to their culture, community, and family, creating a nurturing environment where they can truly thrive.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first Australians and recognise their culture, history, diversity and their deep connection to the land. We acknowledge the past and are strongly committed to improving the lives, and upholding the rights, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which our services now stand. We pay our respect to Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge the important role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in caring for their own communities.

We recognise the distinct rights and perspectives of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly the right of children to be raised in culture, community and family.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities have suffered significant violations of their human rights and these violations continue to impact their daily lives.

We acknowledge the profound grief, suffering and loss caused by the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their community and their culture and we continue to be committed to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s cultural identity and relationships with their families and communities are maintained.

Maintaining connection to Country

Our cultural support workers play a vital role in ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in our out of home care keep connected to their family, kin, community and culture.

Our cultural support workers have the important role of assisting all young people in care to identify and connect with their traditional country and that the country identified by Queensland Child Safety is correct. This connection process and cultural knowledge contribute to building a strong cultural sense of identity, which positively impacts their self-esteem, pride and emotional wellbeing.

Explaining this process of gathering information to non-IIndigenous carers is important as it brings forward the young person’s language, cultural information, map of country, song, dance, connection to other family members and community.

Engaging the carer is crucial to the young person’s development as the carer will encourage the daily use of their language, art and culture.

What is a Cultural Support Worker?

Our Cultural Support Workers support non-Indigenous foster carers and staff to understand the needs of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children in care and to respond in a holistic way that considers family, spiritual, community and individual needs.

They work in close partnership with our Child Safety service centres to achieve the young person’s cultural plans. They also assist other team members to better understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families and support them toward the best outcomes for our young people in care and at risk.

Can I request an identified Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander worker?

If you or someone in your family identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you have the right to request a worker who also identifies as such. If we can’t provide an identified worker, we will work with you to access additional culturally appropriate services or other local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Services. We can also support you to explore access to an Indigenous Foster and Kinship Care service if one is available in the local area.

What is the Child Placement Principle?

The Child Placement Principle recognises the importance of connections to family, community, culture and country and guides Child Safety legislation, policy and practice. The Child Placement Principle was developed by the Department of Child Safety and SNAICC to guide foster and kinship care organisations like us when making decisions about care for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and young people. You can read more about the Child Placement Principle here.

What is Anglicare’s purpose?

We’ve been caring for Queenslanders for over 150 years
We connect with people at every stage of life and respond with compassion and humility
Our team is experienced, dedicated and equipped to help
We advocate to inform positive social change
Our vision is to create a more loving, just and inclusive society.