About relative and kinship care

Children need and have the right to grow up in an environment where they are able to value their culture, religious background and language.

Carers play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining a child’s cultural connections. The need for carers from a broad range of backgrounds has never been more critical.

Aboriginal carers for Aboriginal kids

Aboriginal carers are especially important to help Aboriginal children in care grow up strong and proud. It is important that they help kids to maintain connections to family, land and culture to give them a strong sense of who they are, where they belong, and understand their family and community relationships.

The booklet Raising them strong is a great resource for Aboriginal relative and kinship carers looking after Aboriginal kids. It covers topics such as health, education, grief and loss, family contact and navigating 'the system'. It was developed with Aboriginal foster and kinship carers, care support workers, caseworkers, and the Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat (AbSec).

There's also more helpful information in Resources for Aboriginal parents and carers and in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people

Caring for children from migrant or refugee backgrounds

Families from different cultural backgrounds help children to maintain their language, religion and identity while they are in care.

If you apply to become a carer you will be asked about your cultural and religious background, including languages spoken - this helps to match children needing care stay with carers from a similar background. There's also information about Culturally and linguistically diverse children and young people on the Caring for Kids website.