The NSW government is set to trial a new indigenous child protection system which gives aboriginal elders a say in the fate of children removed from their families.
The Iemma developed ‘circle care’ system will see indigenous elders, parents, the Department of Community Services caseworkers and a magistrate working together to decide where removed children will be placed.
The system is based on a successful "circle sentencing" program for indigenous offenders, which began in Nowra, on NSW’s South Coast, in 2002.
Circle sentencing has been credited with improving the relationship between aboriginal communities and the justice system, and has reduced rates of recidivism on the NSW south coast.
The trial will also be conducted in Nowra, with NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos saying "circle care" will aim to "help protect indigenous children and break down barriers between the courts and Aboriginal families".