The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Kinship and Foster Care Service is part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services (ATSIS), Australian Capital Territory Government. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Kinship and Foster Care Service aims to provide culturally appropriate placement options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who…
The Office for Children, Youth and Family Support was established in 2004. It is an administrative unit of the Community Services Directorate (formerly the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services). The Office works to provide care, support and protection services to children, young people and families in the Australian Capital Territory. In addition, the…
Adoption is the legal process which transfers the legal rights and responsibilities of being a parent from a child’s birth parents to adoptive parents. The Adoption of Children Ordinance 1938 regulated adoption in the ACT for the first time. The 1938 Ordinance was repealed by the Adoption of Children Ordinance 1965 which marked a distinct…
The Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act (Act no. 106/1988) marked the commencement of self-government in 1988. With the passage of this Act, the ACT was provided a fully elected legislature, an executive and an independent court system. Prior to 1988 the Australian Federal Government and the Commonwealth Parliament governed the Australian Capital Territory from its…
The Adoption of Children Ordinance 1965 (Act no. 15/1965) marked a distinct turning point in adoption law, recognising that the paramount consideration for decisions made should be the welfare and interests of the child concerned. This legislation was passed in response to the Commonwealth government’s push for model legislation to harmonise adoption law in Australia….
The Children’s Services Act 1986 (Act no. 13/1986) was Commonwealth legislation, which emphasised strengthening and preserving the relationship between the child and his or her family and the desirability of leaving a child in their home. It introduced the legal term ‘child in need of care’, and also took a significant step in separating ‘children…
The Aborigines Welfare Ordinance 1954 (Act no. 8/1954) was Commonwealth legislation, established to ‘provide for the welfare and control of Aborigines, particularly those at the Wreck Bay reserve’ (Jervis Bay Territory). The 1954 Ordinance followed the lines of the New South Wales Aborigines Protection Acts, 1909-1943 and was approved by the Aborigines Welfare Board of…
The Child Welfare Ordinance 1957 (Act no. 17/1957) ended the application of NSW child welfare legislation in the ACT. A child committed to an institution by an ACT court could still be removed to NSW for detention and maintenance in a State institution. It commenced on 1 March 1958, and was repealed by the Children’s…
The Infants’ Custody and Settlement Ordinance 1956 (Act no. 2/1956) was Commonwealth legislation that applied in the ACT, repealing the Infants Custody and Settlements Act of 1899 (NSW) on 1 March 1956. This Ordinance was repealed by the Infants Custody and Settlements (Repeal) Act 1995 (ACT) on 19 June 1995. This ordinance became an ACT…
The Juvenile Offenders Ordinance 1941 (Act no. 11/1941) was Commonwealth legislation that allowed for children from the ACT to be placed in NSW institutions. It provided that a court in the ACT may commit a person under the age of eighteen to a NSW institution, in accordance with the Neglected Children and Juvenile Offenders Act…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
