What we're doing to improve outcomes

We're recruiting Aboriginal staff for a range of roles. From frontline workers to senior leadership, we aim to increase Aboriginal staff representation across our entire organisation. 

Learn about careers for Aboriginal people at DCJ.

Our Aboriginal service users face additional challenges and barriers to effective service delivery, often due to cultural misconceptions and misunderstandings. To address this, we are developing a number of strategies, including:

• mandatory cultural training for DCJ employees
• cultural safety initiatives to improve the DCJ workplace environment
• employment initiatives to increase the retention and hiring of Aboriginal staff.

The Aboriginal Cultural Capability Framework guides our work to increase the cultural capability of all our staff, including senior executives.

Transforming Aboriginal Outcomes (TAO) is a division in our department that champions Aboriginal perspectives and practices throughout DCJ. It ensures cultural safety, dignity, and the pursuit of aspirational futures for Aboriginal people. TAO aligns us with our commitment to providing trusted, equitable services and meeting Closing the Gap targets, TAO works to reduce intergenerational disadvantage and the number of Aboriginal people who are represented in our systems.

All employees must prepare an Aboriginal Impact Statement (AIS) during the planning stages of new activities aligned to our reforms where that activity is likely to have an impact on Aboriginal people, families and communities.

This tool prompts our staff to ask a series of questions that help them consider how our work will affect Aboriginal people, families and communities and to also create more opportunities for Aboriginal people to have their say.

Projects and initiatives developed and designed with the participation of Aboriginal people have the best chance of having a positive impact and achieving better outcomes.

Our Aboriginal Reference Group (ARG) provides consultations and advocacy for our work that may affect Aboriginal families, clients and communities.

ARG members help DCJ build working relationships with Aboriginal Elders, community groups, non-government agencies and individuals to make sure we are including Aboriginal perspectives in projects, programs and policy from the time we first start thinking about them to when they are put into action.

First set up in 1985, our ARG members are elected at a regional level from around NSW.

ARG promotes the inclusion of Aboriginal perspectives across:

• our policies and programs
• the development of culturally appropriate practice and service provision in child protection
• issues raised by the Minister or senior executives of DCJ
• the professional development and training of our Aboriginal employees.

DCJ's Aboriginal Commissioning Team is a newly established team created to support the growth of the Aboriginal Community Controlled (ACCO) sector, including existing DCJ funded ACCOs and new and emerging Aboriginal groups who want to become DCJ service providers.

The Aboriginal Commissioning team is working to establish a sustainable, culturally responsive service system that:

• supports Aboriginal children, families, and communities to thrive and succeed
• listens to Aboriginal voices
• incorporates Aboriginal culture into all aspects of service delivery.

There are three focus areas which will direct the work the Aboriginal Commissioning team aim to deliver, these include:

• Shared Knowledge - developing resources, templates and training to share with Aboriginal communities and ACCOs to support sector growth and sustainability.
• Shared Experience - providing specific advice to ACCOs relating to becoming a DCJ service provider, clarifying service specifications, accountability and data requirements etc.
• Shared Practice - providing hands on practice & governance support for ACCOs.

Email us at: AboriginalCommissioning@dcj.nsw.gov.au