Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter (FISH) began in 2014 when a group of parents, and people working with parents, got together to talk about the importance of family participation in child protection and children’s relationships with their families.

• prevent children entering statutory care,
• increase restoration, and
• make sure that children’s rights to meaningful relationships with their families are upheld.

FISH does a lot more than just talk. Based on learnings from overseas, FISH has developed and trialled peer parent and family advocacy. The FISH peer parent and family advocacy service in Newcastle provides individual peer support to parents in the Broadmeadow Children’s Court, and peer support and information through a phone support line for parents who are experiencing or fearing child protection system involvement. They also run workshops with parents. This service is the first of its kind in NSW and receives funding from the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation. 

FISH also punches well above its weight in NSW child protection policy discourse and has consistently argued for an end to punitive and risk averse approaches. FISH argues for family-centred evidence-based relational solutions such as peer parent and family advocacy, backed up by advocacy and systems change, to ensure family participation, strong family relationships and family inclusion is the experience of every child.

Iin 2024 FISH joined a Family Inclusion Roundtable, facilitated by the University of Newcastle, with parents, family members, community representatives, practitioners, and organisations.

The discussions generated practical ideas for advancing family inclusion such as:

• Amplifying the family voice: Families and communities should be active voices in decisions affecting their children. Trauma-informed practice is critical.
• Legal and institutional reforms: Family inclusion must be part of laws and policies concerning the safety and wellbeing of children, families, and communities.
• Changes led from the top: Family inclusion must be a priority for the most senior people in child protection organisations, such as the Department of Communities and Justice and OOHC providers, which need to model and support family inclusion at every step.

The roundtable also addressed ongoing challenges in child protection and OOHC - for example, how the system’s punitive, risk-focused approach creates distrust and can discourage families from engaging with support services early, and how limited service availability can make it difficult for families to receive the help they need.

Read the Family Inclusion Roundtable report here >> Project Reports - Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter

Championing Family Inclusion through Peer Support

Through FISH, we also learned about OOHC provider Allambi Care’s appointment of Claire Walker to the newly created role of Family Peer Advocate. With lived experience in the OOHC sector, Claire helps families stay engaged in their children’s lives while in OOHC. FISH has connected Claire with other peer support people, and it would be great to see this model rolled out more widely and to other OOHC service providers.

Learn more Claire’s role >> Empowering families through advocacy | Allambi Care

Growing Family-Inclusive Services

Programs like Grandmothers Against Removal NSW (GMAR) and Dubbo’s Winha-nga-nha Court List are also making strides in family support, helping families navigate complex child protection systems and processes. Expanding the Winha-nga-nha model could provide more relational support, especially for Aboriginal families. For more insights, the Supporting Children and Families to Flourish report by the James Martin Institute for Public Policy - a collaborative project with the Centre for Relational Care - discusses the potential benefits of expanding this model. The report also canvases other ideas such as piloting a Family Drug Treatment Court within the NSW Children’s Court to prioritise family reunification by providing comprehensive support to parents struggling with substance misuse or dependence.

Learn more about innovative court practices that are more aligned with relational and whole-of-family needs (see Opportunity 11) >> JMI report on Supporting Children and Families to Flourish

Legal perspectives on Family Inclusion in Child Protection

An article by Nicola Ross, Wendy Foote, and Kate Davies delves into family inclusion within child protection, focusing on the legal frameworks that shape decisions around the removal of children from their families.

The authors argue that improving outcomes for children—particularly by supporting their connections to family and community—requires drawing on the lived experiences of parents and families to drive meaningful changes in law, policy, and especially in practice.

Read the article here >> Family inclusion in child protection: Law, courts and balancing risks - Nicola Ross, Wendy Foote, Kate Davies, 2024

Call to Action: Reflecting on Family Inclusion in your work

At the Centre for Relational Care, we’re inspired by the work of Family Inclusion Strategies in the Hunter and their commitment to keeping family connections strong for children in out-of-home care. Family inclusion isn’t just a program; it’s a practice that invites everyone in child and family services to consider how they can foster family relationships as a core part of their work.

How can you and your organisation make family inclusion a priority? Whether through amplifying family voices, supporting peer roles, or advocating for systemic changes, each action contributes to a more relational approach to child protection. Let’s work together to support lasting, meaningful connections for children and their families.