Know Your Rights provides Aboriginal families with information to help in advocating and fighting for our children and young people when involved with the child protection system.
When we asked Aboriginal families what advice they would give to families going through a similar life experience, all parents talked about the importance of not giving up, continuing to fight for their children, and educating themselves about their rights to protect their family against the system.
Our hope is that if our families have this resource to refer to, then we may have a bit more power in trying to fight for what we know is right. We aspire for the resource to help our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children stay with family and community, or return home to them.
The idea for a ‘Know Your Rights’ resource came from the Waminda, South Coast Women’s Health and Wellbeing Corporation, an Aboriginal Community–Controlled Health Organisation. The project is a collaboration between the Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home research at UNSW, the research partners and the NSW peak for Aboriginal children and families, AbSec.
Know Your Rights has been created through the Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home (BTHKTH) research, which centers the voices and experiences of Aboriginal parents and families navigating the NSW child protection system. The families have given us permission to share their experiences.
BTHKTH is led by Wiradjuri woman Associate Professor BJ Newton. The research investigates the rates, outcomes and experiences of successful and sustainable restoration for Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. This research is making significant impact across the child protection sector, facilitating truth telling for families silenced by the system, Aboriginal community-determined initiatives, and individual and system-level advocacy.
This resource has been directly informed by the BTHKTH research and is grounded in community-led research and lived experience.
Brittney Angus is a proud Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal designer, based on Wodi Wodi (Dharawal Speaking) Country, whose work spans branding, illustration and digital design. The title of the Know Your Rights artwork is ‘Ripple Effect of Knowledge.’ This artwork represents how knowledge shared with one person creates a ripple that spreads across family, community, and Country.
Each concentric ripple reflects strengthened voices and growing confidence. It shows that when people understand their rights, change travels further than we can see.
This brand speaks with strength, welcomes with softness, and stands beside families as they navigate their rights.
Charlotte Allingham is a highly accomplished Aboriginal artist hailing from the Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa communities, with deep familial connections to the Condobolin and Ivanhoe regions of Central West NSW. Currently based in Naarm (Melbourne), she brings a profound sense of Cultural Identity and personal experiences to her artistic practice.
At the age of 31, Charlotte Allingham is a Queer Autistic Woman who unites her diverse perspectives and intersectional identities to produce artworks that resonate with depth.
With an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of Blak excellence, Charlotte channels the essence of self-determination and Truth in her creations.
AbSec and our partners acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout NSW and their continuing connections to land, waters, and communities. We also acknowledge the lands on which these stories were told, the lands of the Dharawal, Yuin and Wonnarua people.
We acknowledge the Elders, leaders and advocates that have led the way and continue to fight for our children. We also acknowledge the Stolen Generations who never came home and the ongoing impact of government policy and practice on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families.
This website shares the experiences and advice of Aboriginal families involved in the NSW child protection system who participated in the Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home research at UNSW. We acknowledge and thank the families who generously gave permission to share their stories.
These experiences reflect what worked for those families and do not constitute advice or views of AbSec. AbSec recommends seeking independent legal advice for your own circumstances.
