Indigenous Kinship Care in Queensland: First Nations Support and Payments

Kinship care has always been central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family structures. Raising children within the extended family and community is not a crisis response — it is a cultural practice with deep roots. But when government systems intersect with First Nations kinship arrangements, the administrative requirements can feel alienating and the financial support pathways are often unclear.

Queensland has specific services, legal protections, and support organisations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship carers. Here is what is available.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle

Queensland's Child Protection Act 1999 embeds the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, which requires Child Safety to give proper consideration, in order of priority, to placing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with:

1. A member of the child's family
2. A member of the child's community or language group
3. An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person compatible with the child's community or language group
4. Another Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
5. If no appropriate person in those groups is available, a person living near the child's family, community, or language group who can help the child stay connected to kin and culture

This principle directly supports kinship care as a placement option. When Child Safety is involved with a First Nations child, the Act recognises the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to participate in significant decisions. Ask your caseworker how recognised entity involvement will be arranged in your case.

Financial Support: Same Payments, Different Barriers

The financial entitlements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kinship carers are the same as for all kinship carers in Queensland:

• Formal carers (approved under the Child Protection Act) receive the fortnightly caring allowance ($652.40–$763.98 per fortnight depending on age), plus supplementary payments
• Informal carers rely on Commonwealth Centrelink payments (FTB, DOP, CCS/ACCS)
• Remote carers receive the regional remote loading on top of the fortnightly allowance ($65.94–$76.86 per fortnight in designated remote CSSC catchments including Cape York, Torres Strait, and Mount Isa)

The barriers are not in the payment rates but in the access pathways. Remote communities face longer processing times, limited access to Centrelink offices, unreliable internet for myGov, and fewer JPs available to witness statutory declarations. Kinship arrangements within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families are also frequently more complex — multiple carers, shared care across households, and cultural practices that do not map neatly onto Centrelink's percentage-of-care framework.

Culturally Safe Legal Support

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (ATSILS) provides culturally appropriate legal advice and representation for First Nations people across Queensland in family law and child protection matters. ATSILS understands the cultural context of kinship care and can advocate within systems that often misunderstand Aboriginal family structures.

Contact ATSILS on 1800 012 255 (free call statewide) for:

• Advice on parenting orders and family law
• Representation in child protection proceedings

Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP)

QATSICPP is the peak body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled child protection services in Queensland. While they work primarily at the systemic and organisational level, they can direct kinship carers to culturally appropriate local support services and recognised entities in your region.

Recognised Entities

Under the Child Protection Act 1999, recognised entities are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations that participate in significant child protection decisions. For placement decisions, Child Safety must give proper consideration to the recognised entity's views. Ask your caseworker what role the recognised entity can have in:

• Placement decisions
• Cultural support planning
• Family meetings and case conferences
• Connections to community and culture

If you are a First Nations kinship carer and the recognised entity has not been involved in your case, raise this with your caseworker or contact QATSICPP.

Practical Support Services

• Family and Child Connect (FaCC) referral hubs operate in most Queensland regions and can connect First Nations families with local support services
• Time for Grandparents program (1300 135 500) provides peer support and activity brokerage funding to informal grandparent carers, including First Nations grandparents
• Centrelink's Grandparent Adviser line (1800 245 965) can assist with claims and care determinations; ask what appointment options are available in your area

Navigating Shared and Multi-Carer Arrangements

Services Australia assesses your care percentage based on the care you provide and supporting evidence. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, care may flow between multiple households — grandparents, aunties, uncles, and older cousins all contributing. Keep a clear record of your own care and provide supporting evidence.

A letter from the child's school, medical records or a GP letter, or confirmation from a community support agency can help document your care arrangement for Centrelink purposes.

For a complete guide to the payments, paperwork, and support services available to kinship carers in Queensland — with pathways mapped for both informal and formal care arrangements — see our Queensland kinship carer support guide.

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