Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat (NSW) Inc

The Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat [AbSec] was formed to strengthen links between Aboriginal child and family service provider agencies and to support the organisations to provide effective and high quality services for children and young people. It has been funded by the Australian Government as the Peak Body for Aboriginal Out-of-Home Care.

AbSec’s goals are:

• To assist Aboriginal communities in the goal to achieve self-determination and a safe, secure and caring environment for children and young people.
• To help Aboriginal organisations provide quality services for Aboriginal children and their families, extended families and communities.
• To provide support, information and networking opportunities for Aboriginal agencies providing care and protection services for children and young people.
• To advise Government and key Departments and agencies on Aboriginal child and family issues.
• To advocate on issues of concern to Aboriginal Child and Family agencies.
• To identify training needs for carers, staff and management and to access or arrange relevant and appropriate training.

The group also acts as a central point of advice, consultation and advocacy on children and young people’s care and protection issues.

The current membership of AbSec comprises of most of the New South Wales non-government Aboriginal controlled agencies providing Out-of-Home Care services, as well as other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations and individuals who are supportive of our aims and objectives. AbSec is supported by DoCS to identify the training needs for all Aboriginal Out-of-Home Care agencies.

AbSec has also been funded by Family and Community Services to support all Aboriginal carers, this includes carers for Family and Community Services, Aboriginal Out-of-Home Care agencies and other Out-of-Home Care agencies. The Aboriginal Statewide Foster Carer Support Service (ASFCSS) has a database of a large number of Aboriginal carers.