Aboriginal Family Support Services

NAIDOC SA Award nominations are now open!

🖤💛❤️💙💚🖤🤍

Now is the time to recognise someone deadly in our community who deserves to be celebrated for their leadership, achievements, creativity, strength, and contribution.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll also be showcasing some of our previous NAIDOC SA Award winners as part of celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC Week.

Nominations close 20 June.
Nominate someone deadly today. Link: https://naidocsa.com.au/naidoc-sa-2025-nomination-form/

As part of National Reconciliation Week and this year’s theme, All In, the Ann Street team came together for a Cake and Paint session to reflect on what reconciliation means to each of us.

Staff created individual canvases expressing their personal thoughts, stories, and commitments to reconciliation. These artworks will be displayed alongside our collaborative staff canvas, representing our shared journey and commitment to walking together.

Thank you to everyone who participated. The finished artworks are a powerful reminder that reconciliation grows stronger when we each bring our own voice and commitment to the journey.

Recently, members of our Early Intervention team attended the Reily Foundation's Support Before System Practitioner Training.
The training focuses on strengthening practitioner confidence, understanding, and practice through a strong emphasis on strengths-based and trauma-aware approaches. It also highlights the importance of identifying opportunities for earlier intervention and support, ensuring families receive the help they need before concerns escalate and statutory child protection involvement becomes necessary.

Today is National Sorry Day. We share this letter from young person in care.

Any reflection on our history, must also include recognition that its impacts are still being felt today. Healing comes through truth, accountability, and commitment to change. Today, and every day, we stand for our young people, because they deserve better.

Thank you to the young person in care who provided these words (with names edited).

Our Family Group Conferencing (FGC) team recently attended the Pathways Forum: How to Manage Disputes for the Child, connecting with colleagues across family law and child protection while gaining valuable insights into family-led decision-making.

A highlight was exploring how Family Group Conferencing can support meaningful agreements that put children first, while strengthening culturally safe outcomes for Aboriginal families. A great day of learning, connection, and reaffirming our commitment to keeping Aboriginal children connected to family, culture, and community.

You can find out more about our growing FGC program here:
https://www.afss.com.au/our-programs-2/family-group-conferencing/

The Metro IFS teams recently attended the 2026 Statewide Practitioner Communities of Practice Forum, joining 366 practitioners from NGOs, Government agencies and ACCOs across SA.

This year’s focus, Cumulative Harm on Children – “Harm Grows Quietly”, highlighted the importance of recognising the ongoing impact of neglect, family violence, trauma, instability and unmet needs on children’s safety and wellbeing over time.

The forum reinforced the importance of reflective practice, early intervention, culturally responsive approaches, collaboration, and ensuring children’s voices and experiences remain central in all family support work.

Check out our March/April 2026 Newsletter!

https://simplebooklet.com/afssnewslettermarchapril2026