The Time Is Now: Reclaiming Child Protection Decision Making Within Australia

This article draws upon the findings of a Churchill Fellowship that the author undertook in 2023 exploring how First Nations people and their communities internationally are reclaiming child protection decision making. From visiting Aotearoa (New Zealand), the United States of America, and Canada as well as the experiences of Queensland and Victoria in Australia, the author will highlight the preconditions to change; the processes that First Nations communities and their community-controlled organisations engaged in; the strengths and limitations of these approaches; and what has maintained and supported long-term change. The findings in this article aim to contribute to the key elements for guiding the development of a roadmap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to engage in their own journey of reclaiming child protection decision making within Australia.