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Aboriginal Family Led Decision Making

The Aboriginal Family Led Decision Making (AFLDM) process supports the right to self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to make decisions about how to keep their child or young person safe and connected to their family, culture, Country and community.

Background

In Western Australia, nearly 59% of children in care are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. The disproportionate over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of- home care requires a concerted effort to be addressed effectively and must be achieved by working in partnership with Aboriginal people and Aboriginal community. Working in partnership with the Aboriginal community to address this overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care is a priority of the Department of Communities (the Department).  

Aboriginal Family Led Decision Making
Through AFLDM, families are supported to make family driven decisions with the aim of preventing children entering out-of-home care, increasing reunification of children with their families and ensuring children are connected to culture and Community. When a family is involved with children protection, AFLDM allows meetings between the family and Communities to be facilitated by an Aboriginal convenor, employed by an ACCO. 

Two ACCOs are currently delivering AFLDM convenors services in Western Australia for the Department; Wungening Aboriginal Corporation (Wungening) and Geraldton Streetwork Aboriginal Corporation (Streeties). Wungening and Streeties are have been contracted to pilot AFLDM in the Mirrabooka District and Geraldton Region respectively; providing families with a culturally safe space in which meetings are facilitated by an Aboriginal convenor, with families being supported to make culturally based and  (SNAICC 2018).

The AFLDM meeting upholds a strength-based approach and focusses on the support that can be offered to the child and family. The meeting has three phases: 

• Sharing Information: Each participant will have an opportunity to share information during the meeting with family members in the first instance before other professionals. The family is provided with all information about the child protection concerns and worries to assist them in creating their family plan.
• Private Family Time: This promotes family led participation and ownership ensuring self-determination. There is no time limit allowing the family will consider options and develop a plan to ensure and promote the safety of the child(ren). 
• Re-convening Meeting: The family will present the plan to meeting participants who will be asked if they agree with the plan. If the plan is agreed upon by all participants, it is sent to the Department for agreeance.

After a family’s proposed plan has been accepted by all parties, the Department and the ACCO Convenor will work with the family to achieve the goals and tasks set out in the plan. Once a plan is implemented, there is a review four to six weeks following the AFLDM meeting, facilitated by the AFLDM convenor, that focuses on how well the plan is meeting the needs of the child and family, including progress made towards the family’s safety goals.

AFLDM is one way that the Department is progressing legislative reform to enable and support child protections processes and decisions that are culturally safe for Aboriginal people in Western Australia. The reform agenda is underpinned by the State ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿â€™s commitment to Target 12 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45%.

Work undertaken to date.

In 2020 the Department of Communities undertook a one year planning and pilot co-design phase. Communities engaged the WA Aboriginal Community to inform the development of AFLDM pilot, led by Professor Rhonda Marriott and Associate Professor Melissa O’Donnell to facilitate four round table discussions as part of the co-design. It was determined the pilot would target three cohorts that intersect with child protection:

• Pre-birth cases – when a woman is pregnant and there are concerns for the needs and wellbeing of the unborn infant after birth.
• Intensive Family Support Cases – where there is an open child protection case where the child is at imminent risk of entering out-of-home care.
• Reunification cases – children on time limiter orders with the goal of safely returning them to their families.

The 12-month ALFDM pilot commenced in October 2021 across both pilot sites, being extended for an additional nine-months with planned completion on 30 June 2023, to further build and test the pilot within these three cohorts. On 01 July 2023 the AFLDM pilot commenced another extension, which has now been extended until 30 June 2025, with the AFLDM pilot now testing full-service delivery in the pilot locations.

Latest news

• (4 September 2022)
• (5 October 2021)
• (30 September 2021)
•  (26 May 2021)
•  (5 May 2021)

Any comments or questions about the pilot or AFLDM process can be directed to the AFLDM Project Team at Aboriginalfamilyleddecisionmaking@communities.wa.gov.au.