We support families from all walks of life and all corners of the state.
It’s vital that our teams are as diverse as the communities we serve. If you identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and believe in giving children a voice, we want to hear from you! The work we do isn't easy, but keeping children connected to family, kin and culture is our number one goal.
We need to reduce the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the child protection system. To achieve this, we’re working with community so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are better empowered to be heard and make decisions to heal, grow and prosper.
You can also learn about the steps we’re taking to roll out Delegated Authority across all Child Safety jurisdictions in Queensland. We are committed to Delegated Authority because we recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the experts in how to keep their children and families safe. Even with the best intentions, as a mainstream service, we cannot care for and keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children safe in family, community and culture as effectively as their own community.
Working as a Child Safety Officer or Cultural Practice Advisor is a real opportunity to influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families to make positive changes and have better life outcomes.
We got into a lot of mischief growing up.
Mum would probably say I was a lovely child.
The person that um I lent on a lot as a young person was my Nan.
Yeah, I'm a big nanny's boy.
She was always there for me.
Being in Isa you know I walk from one side of town all the way over to the other just to go see Nan.
She provided me with a lot of my cultural knowledge that I have today.
I'm a Mitakoodi Kalkadoon man Mitakoodi sits in the Cloncurry region touches border with Kalkadoon region which is the Mt Isa regions.
My mob that I work with, you know, as soon as they find out that I'm a Murri fella.
I'm here to make sure, you know, you mob are treated with respect.
Change is coming.
If I can prevent young people from coming into care, then that's a win.
To me that's one of the greatest feelings.
The opportunity out in Mount Isa popped up. I obviously yarned with my kids, you know,
If I should head back to Country for this role, and they were all for it.
When I first returned to Country, [I] can't describe the feeling, but I felt safe and now I’m a permanent Cultural Practice Advisor within the department.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, you know.
I don't want to be doing anything else.
Des—Cultural Practice Advisor
I choose a career with the department.
Here’s why
Once I learned the ropes, how to do genograms and cultural support plans, it hit me how important the work we’re doing is. We’re helping young people remain connected to their people, country and culture.
I come from a large family.
I'm the baby of 10 children.
Our parents would take us back to Country and I'd go out in the bush and absolutely loved it.
We would just fish and it wasn't really teaching us about how to do things traditionally.
It was just more, so this was this land, was where our ancestors lived.
I work as the Aboriginal Regional Practice Leader.
I'm proud that I can influence really strong cultural practice.
If you don't really understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people kinship systems work, I'm there to be able to help support new staff to be able to navigate that.
I'm proud of when I see them achieve great results for children and families.
I think that's what makes me come in every day.
You need to be a holder of hope.
You need to have an active mind and an open heart.
Children need protection and parents have also got things that are going on for them that just need addressing and just they need support to be able to strengthen themselves, strengthen their family unit in order to be able to get their children home.
I think now more than ever there is so many opportunities that's provided to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, and we would like to have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people come and work for the department to be able to help support and guide.
I'm here to, you know, try to make a difference and I know that things are changing.
Chrissie—Indigenous Regional Practice Leader
I choose a career with the department.
Here’s why
I feel pride in having planted seeds within my practice in order to positively change the trajectory and the storylines for our young First Nation Children and our families. You know, it does bring me a sense of fulfilment.
Help us make positive change
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