KWY Aboriginal Corporation has been declared as a Recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisation (RATSIO).
This landmark announcement creates greater opportunities for Aboriginal families and communities to lead and inform decision making about their children and young people.
In partnership with the Department for Child Protection, KWY Aboriginal Corporation will work to generate improved outcomes for children and young people in contact with the child protection and family support system.
This includes focusing on Aboriginal children and young people growing up safely in family, community and culture and on Country.
For the past 12 years, KWY Aboriginal Corporation has provided vital programs and services in the areas of family support, domestic and family violence prevention, youth work, kinship care, disability, mentoring, education and perpetrator intervention across metropolitan Adelaide and some parts of regional South Australia.
KWY's work is also supporting the new Finding Families program to stringently focus on identifying secure and sustainable family placements for Aboriginal children and young people currently living in residential care.
As put by Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard
We have listened to calls to empower Aboriginal community controlled organisations and Aboriginal people to lead decision making about their children and young people.
Until now, Aboriginal Family Support Services was the only organisation deemed a Recognised Aboriginal Organisation in the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.
This groundbreaking step forward will enable KWY to deepen their work with families and communities to uplift, empower and protect Aboriginal children through the provision of critical support, guidance and resources.
As we continue toward our transformation of the child protection and family support system to help improve children's lives, working with an organisation like KWY is vital.
This recognition demonstrates our steadfast determination to listen to Aboriginal people and to act to recognise the strength and connection for children and families that comes through love, empowerment and connection to family, community, culture and country.
As put by Craig Rigney, Chief Executive Officer, KWY Aboriginal Corporation
KWY is proud to take on the role of a recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation (RATSIO), working to generate improved outcomes for children, young people, families and communities.
Our core business is working within communities, for our communities and families.
The over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in care is a national concern, and we will work in partnership with the Department for Child Protection towards reducing the number of children in care in this state.
Together, we share the goal of ensuring children grow up with family, feeling safe, loved, and connected with their culture and Country.
