Supporting First Nations Children in Care
Key Assets are a culturally safe and culturally confident organisation supporting First Nations children in out-of-home care.
Supporting our First Nations kids in care
Key Assets have progressed to the next phase of ensuring that we are a culturally safe and culturally confident organisation in the way we provide support and services to First Nations children in care through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We are transitioning from an innovative RAP to a Stretch RAP, which means we are moving away from the safe work we have been doing for the last 5 years and towards being more brave in our practices. We are supported with our Cultural Practice Leads in each state and our National First Nations Lead.
Denice Kickett, our National First Nations Lead, has developed a framework to serve as a learning guide for Key Assets employees as they work to become a culturally confident organisation. The Towards Cultural Confidence Framework relates to Land, Origin, Respect, Elders (LORE) and takes into consideration that there are different learnings and every person is on their own journey and at a different stage when it comes to reconciliation.
Denice, alongside our Cultural Practice Leads in each state, discovered through conversations with many non-First Nations people that most people are unsure how to connect and interact with First Nations peoples because they are not confident enough to speak with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Many people lack understanding and education about appropriate language and are afraid of saying the wrong thing or being disrespectful. Building a framework of cultural confidence includes encouraging people to just have a go and find out more about First Nations people.
Three of the key learning outcomes are:
- Research and understanding of cultural history.
- Participation and understanding of local cultural context.
- Working towards true reconciliation entails actively participating in and committing to develop your own understanding of what reconciliation means to this country and to the next generations to take on that responsibility.
As an organisation Key Assets support their First Nations children in care. Our Cultural Practice Leads meet with each child and Foster Carer individually to learn about their cultural journey. They are made aware of all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations within their area and both children and Carers are kept up to date with latest events being held in their community. We can accompany them to these events including NAIDOC, Reconciliation, and community BBQ’s.
Anyone interested in becoming a Foster Carer with Key Assets should know that they will be supported. They will be supported through their training before becoming a Foster Carer and they will be supported 24/7 throughout their journey as a Foster Carer. We understand that becoming a Foster Carer is a big step, so there is a close relationship between carers and social workers, including the matching process that ensures we get the right match between Carer and young person, as well as a Cultural Practice Lead who will assist in caring for First Nations Children.
If you are interested in becoming a Foster Carer with Key Assets call our team on or take our questionnaire to see if you are eligible.