NSW expands Aboriginal family preservation services in major funding push

A major expansion of Aboriginal family preservation services in New South Wales is set to bring more support to families at risk of child removal, with the state government backing a $350 million investment over five years.

The funding is tied to an overhaul of the Aboriginal Family Preservation program and will extend services beyond existing providers, including Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation in Sydney’s south-west. The rollout is expected to reach more than 20 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations across the state from July, in a move designed to keep more children safely at home and reduce entries into out-of-home care.

The announcement lands in a policy area long shaped by deep concern from Aboriginal communities, which have argued that child protection responses too often intervene late, or without enough cultural understanding. Recent reporting has highlighted that Indigenous children remain heavily over-represented in out-of-home care in NSW, and that advocates have continued to call for more Aboriginal-led early intervention.

At Tharawal, the practical impact is expected to be immediate. The organisation’s existing family preservation team is preparing to grow, with manager Kim Bell saying the extra funding will allow more families across Western Sydney to be supported before crises escalate. “We’ll have another five caseworkers, another two program officers,” Ms Bell said.

For Tarnika Steward, whose experience was featured as part of the announcement, the value of that support is personal as well as political. After years of substance abuse and previous child removals, she said she made a decision to change course rather than risk losing another child. With support, she has since found housing, re-engaged with services, and seen her child protection matter closed. “I’m so happy and he’s a happy baby too” she said.

Families and Communities Minister Kate Washington said past services had often failed because they were not shaped closely enough by Aboriginal families and communities. She described the redesigned system as something co-designed with Aboriginal stakeholders so it would better match real needs on the ground.

The broader significance of the funding is that it shifts more responsibility and resources toward Aboriginal-controlled organisations, which have long argued they are best placed to deliver culturally safe and community-based care. Tharawal’s own program says it provides tailored support aimed at keeping children and young people living safely at home wherever possible.

The measure will not solve every concern in the child protection system. But it marks a substantial investment in an approach that places family, culture, and prevention at the centre, rather than waiting until removal becomes the default response.