Family is Culture was an Aboriginal-led, independent review of the circumstances of 1153 Aboriginal children and young people who entered out-of-home care in NSW. It aimed to determine the reasons behind the disproportionate and increasing number of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care in NSW.  

The Family is Culture review report was released in 2019 and found a child protection system in crisis. It made more than 3,000 case-specific recommendations in respect of particular children and young people, and 126 systemic recommendations to transform child protection so it works for, not against, Aboriginal families.  

Since the report’s release, the Justice and Equity Centre,  a leading independent law and policy centre, has partnered with Aboriginal-controlled organisations AbSec, the Aboriginal Legal Service and Jumbunna Institute to produce periodic ‘report cards’, assessing the NSW Government’s progress on implementing recommendations. The July report card has recently been released – with little progress being made. Additionally, The National Indigenous Times has reported on the release of the card. 

Lucy Kelley, Lawyer at the Justice and Equity Centre, joined 2SER Breakfast to discuss.