This report seeks to outline the context of self-determination in child protection, honouring decades of community advocacy and amplifying the Family is Culture review report recognition of strong-form self-determination as necessary to see substantial improvement for the futures of Aboriginal children and communities.

The report draws on key insights shared through a 2025 international symposium on self-determination in Indigenous child welfare and considers how these might be implemented in New South Wales (NSW) to enliven the right to self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This includes immediate actions to strengthen recognition for self-determination and longer-term initiatives to transform the NSW child protection system towards a modern, rights-based approach.