Conference presentation
Aboriginal young people’s experiences in therapeutic residential care in New South Wales, Australia
ISPCAN Congress (Melbourne, Australia, 24/08/2026–27/08/2026)
24/08/2026
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Objectives: Cultural disconnection remains a critical and preventable driver of harm for Aboriginal Australian children in out-of-home care (OOHC). While reforms increasingly emphasise cultural planning and frontline practice, less attention has been paid to the organisational and leadership conditions that shape children’s everyday experiences of identity, belonging and cultural continuity. This presentation aims to: (1) describe how Aboriginal young people in therapeutic residential care (TRC) define cultural connection and disconnection; (2) identify relational and organisational “enablers” and “constraints” to wellbeing; and (3) highlight leadership levers that can strengthen cultural connection in institutional care settings.
Method: Findings are drawn from three interconnected qualitative studies in New South Wales, Australia. Data were generated through yarning-based interviews with 16 Aboriginal young people aged 12–18 living in TRC, complemented by a broader sample of 38 young people reflecting on relational care, cultural needs and organisational environments. Yarning was used as a culturally grounded method prioritising relational safety, deep listening and participant agency. A trauma-informed pre/during/ post framework supported ethical engagement and researcher wellbeing. Data were analysed thematically to identify “enablers” and “constraints” to cultural connection within institutional settings.
Results: Young people described cultural connection as lived belonging: knowing who they are, being recognised in identity by adults, and maintaining access to family, community, Elders, Country and language. Cultural disconnection was experienced not as a personal deficit but as a system output— produced through frequent placement changes, staff turnover, limited Aboriginal mentors, and organisational cultures that constrained relationship-building or reduced “culture” to occasional events. Participants described identity uncertainty (“I don’t know what it means”), relational grief and confusion arising from disrupted cultural links and inconsistent messages from adults.
Enablers of wellbeing were consistently relational and practical: stable adults, predictable routines, interest-based supports (sport, art, Country-based activities), and genuine opportunities for choice and agency. Young people emphasised that “therapeutic care” often looked like small, repeated acts—adults showing up, listening and engaging cultural strengths without judgement. Constraints were systemic: rigid professional-boundary rules that limited warmth, time-pressured routines, insufficient cultural leadership, and organisational practices that unintentionally blocked connection, family involvement and cultural learning. Across accounts, rosters, staffing stability, supervision cultures, policy settings and power-sharing practices shaped whether cultural connection could occur in daily life.
Conclusions: Cultural connection in TRC is primarily produced—or prevented—by leadership architecture rather than individual goodwill. Decisions about stability, workforce development, cultural governance, community partnership, and flexibility in relational practice accumulate over time to create either culturally safe continuity or ongoing cultural harm. Treating culture as an everyday lived practice (not a compliance task) is essential to strengthening identity and belonging for Aboriginal young people in care.
Key takeaways:
- Embed culture in daily routines and relationships, not only plans and events.
- Treat stability and continuity of trusted relationships as prevention.
- Invest in Aboriginal cultural leadership, mentors, and community partnerships with authority.
- Align rosters, boundaries, and supervision to enable warmth, family contact, and cultural participation.
Details
- Title
- Aboriginal young people’s experiences in therapeutic residential care in New South Wales, Australia
- Creators
- Kylie Day Dr - Southern Cross UniversityLynne McPherson Prof - Southern Cross UniversityAntonia Canosa Dr - Southern Cross UniversityKathomi Gatwiri Professor - Flinders UniversityEmeritus Prof Robbie Gilligan - Trinity College DublinJanise Mitchell Assoc Prof - Australian Childhood FoundationTim Moore A/Prof - Australian Catholic UniversityAnne Graham Distinguished Professor - Southern Cross University
- Conference
- ISPCAN Congress (Melbourne, Australia, 24/08/2026–27/08/2026)
- Identifiers
- 991013395346202368
- Academic Unit
- Office of the Vice Chancellor; Centre for Children and Young People; Psychology and Social Health; Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples; Faculty of Health
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation