February 2025: Safe, protected, connected: Applying Aboriginal understandings of permanency and attachment in practice

Webinar

This webinar was a "live only" event and was not recorded 

Details

In this webinar, Dr Wendy Hermeston from the University of Melbourne shared findings from her qualitative research which gathered Aboriginal community members’ conceptualisations of permanency and attachment in the context of Aboriginal child-rearing practices and family and community life. The research highlighted commonalities with universal understandings around child protection and that protecting children from harm was participants’ most fundamental concern. The research also demonstrated how culturally grounded concepts of safety, best interests of the child, attachment and permanency differ from Western understandings. Dr Hermeston stressed the need for a deepening of practitioner knowledge about Aboriginal family life and child-rearing practices and how the long-term impacts of disconnection from siblings, extended family and Country that many Aboriginal children in care experience, must be given more weight in care decision-making.

Dr Hermeston built on FACSIAR’s September ‘Lunch and Learn’ seminar “Missing links: Attachment theory and Aboriginal children, families and communities” and the literature about the misapplication of attachment theory in the out-of-home care system.

The seminar also included a conversation with Aboriginal Casework Specialists from DCJ’s Office of the Senior Practitioner who shared case studies involving decision-making about permanency and attachment and consideration of the best interests of the child. The session included a discussion about moving beyond deficit-based assessments to recognising family strengths.

This webinar was chaired by Noni Greenwood, Director Aboriginal Culture in Practice, Office of Senior Practitioner, DCJ.

Presentation

Safe, protected, connected: Applying Aboriginal understandings of permanency and attachment in practice

• Dr Wendy Hermeston, Wiradjuri woman, Senior Research Fellow, ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, University of Melbourne

Download Dr Wendy Hermeston's presentation slides (PDF, 612.7 KB)

Discussion with panel

• Stevie Kirby, Senior Project Officer, Aboriginal Culture in Practice, DCJ
  
• Carole Allaburton, Senior Project Officer, Aboriginal Culture in Practice, DCJ
  

Additional resources

Published research articles

• Safe, Protected … Connected? The Best Interests of Aboriginal Children and Permanency Planning in the NSW Care and Protection System (PhD Thesis, Wendy Hermeston)
• Attachment and the (mis)apprehension of Aboriginal children: epistemic violence in child welfare interventions
• Toward relationship-based child welfare services
• Attachment goes to court: child protection and custody issues
• Link-Up book

Stolen Generations-related information:

• The Stolen Generations - Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) resource
• Who are the Stolen Generations?  - Healing Foundation resource
• Make Healing Happen report (2021) - Healing Foundation resource
• Stolen Generations: A film by Darlene Johnson (2000) - YouTube
• Lola Edwards' story - ABC Podcast

National Inquiry - Bringing Them Home Report:

• Interactive map
• Bring The Home report (1997)

FACSIAR Lunch and Learn

• November 2022: Restoration from out-of-home care for Aboriginal children and families: Challenges, pathways and positive practices

FACSIAR Publications

• Aboriginal-led Early Support Programs for Children, Young People, Families and Communities: A Review of the Evidence Base

Contact

Email: ResearchPartnerships@dcj.nsw.gov.au