2. Safe Families Intro Personal Introduction Tangentyere Council Safe Families Model Strengths Weaknesses Lessons learned

3. Tangentyere Council Provides a service to 19 town camps Historically poor infrastructure and service provision Population consists of approximately 1250 adults and 400 young people

4. Tangentyere Council Family and Youths Services Housing Social Justice Employment and Financial Services

5. History Safe Families Consultations with Local Aboriginal leaders Community groups Service providers

6. Safe Families Focuses on an Aboriginal, family – inclusive, community centred approach in relation to child protection issues in order to keep Aboriginal young people safe and with family.

7. Safe Families Vision Statement Kinship care is crucial to the physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all young people Support families to preserve their traditional obligations to nurture and provide care to young people

8. Safe Families Vision Statement Fostering and preserving community connectedness and the cultural integrity of Aboriginal families Ensure young people grow up strong, safe, resilient and healthy in their transition to adulthood

9. Safe Families Target Group Children and young people aged up to 14 yrs Young people presenting as “at risk” Young people subject to child protection intervention Young people who present with multiple and complex issues

10. Safe Families Intervention Referral Crisis Accommodation Assessment Accommodation medium to long term Case management Review

11. FACS COMMUNITY SAFE HOUSE Kinship CarersFamily Foster Carers

12. Alternative Carer Short term placements Respite Emergency Community Transition

13. Department of Health and Community Services

14. How do we work? Employment of local Aboriginal staff members Family mapping Family meetings Language speakers Informal and formal networks Collaboration with other organisations and agencies

15. Lessons learned Importance of actively involving family members in process Importance of maintaining language, stories, law and tradition for cultural identity Need to acknowledge the value of traditional knowledge and skills

16. Lessons learned Need for collaboration with wider community Importance of flexibility in approach Provision of specific training to meet needs of staff members

17. Strengths The Service is well accepted within the community Flexible model – able to meet the need of the community and the statutory child protection body Young people feel more at ease and safe Maintain connection to country Language, Culture and tradition is kept alive

18. Weaknesses Recruitment of staff Funding for training Lack of career structure High demands on staff members from community due to cultural obligations