Children in out-of-home care's right to family and cultural connection: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australian children's perspectives

Background: Children have a right to participate in decisions about their lives. They also have the right to family and cultural connection, including when they are removed due to child protection concerns. However, the literature highlights barriers children in out-of-home care experience connecting to family-of-origin and culture. Moreover, this literature is predominantly from the perspective of practitioners and carers, with children's perspectives notably absent. Objective: This qualitative study addresses this gap by exploring Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australian children's perspectives and experiences of family and cultural connection while in out-of-home care. It seeks to uphold children's right to express their views on matters that impact their lives. Participants and setting: The participants were 62 children aged 4-15 years (x=9 years), who were in out-of-home care in Queensland (Australia). Forty-two of the children were nonIndigenous and 20 identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children. Methods: Lundy's (2007) model of participation guided the data collection approach. Art-based graphic-elicitation interviews were conducted. Verbatim transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Children had differing levels of understanding as to why they could not reside with their family. Most children referred to a family-of-origin member not living with them as important in their lives, but it was not always their parent/s. Siblings were mentioned frequently. Barriers to connections with family included distance and cost of travel, parents not attending visits and being uncontactable, incarcerated or deceased. Whilst most children desired increased connection with family, a few wished for reduction or cessation. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children showed varying levels of connection to culture with both siblings and carers playing key roles in enabling greater connection. Conclusions: Graphic-elicitation interviews provided an important opportunity for children to voice their experiences of and preferences regarding family and cultural connection. The inclusion of children's voices is needed to inform responsive policies and practices that safely support their rights to family and culture when in out-of-home care.