The significance of family in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples uphold strong family values, with a family system that is based on an extended family structure, differing from the nuclear or immediate family structure commonly found in Western society.

Family forms the foundation for emotional and psychological support, providing spiritual, cultural, and emotional guidance throughout life. It is central to the well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Over time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children find out about their family connections and where they belong in relation to others, including who they are related to, who they can (and cannot) marry, and socially acceptable ways of interacting with others. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures thrive through knowledge of family and kin, connection to country and community.

The strength of cultural practices in family life and child rearing

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents have a deep understanding of how to keep their children safe and nurture them to become active contributors to family and community life. For many Aboriginal families and communities, engaging in traditional cultural practices and reclaiming cultural identity are vital steps towards addressing disadvantage and restoring their rightful place within broader Australian society. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is a source of strength and can serve as a protective factor for children and families. Recognising and understanding the unique aspects of these distinct cultures is essential for achieving positive outcomes for children. 

By embracing and fostering their cultural identity, the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people can be enhanced, contributing to a reduction in their vulnerability.

The strengths of Aboriginal cultural practice in family life and child rearing are identified as including: 

• a collective community focus—the concept of ‘one community, many eyes’ helps children to build trust and confidence in themselves and in others, access support when they face challenges, and to be safe.
• autonomous play—having the freedom to explore the world can empower children to build independence, learn responsibility and make sound decisions.
• respect for the elderly—elderly family and community members help children to learn their responsibilities, understand who they are and where they come from, and keep the spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures alive.
• spirituality—this helps children to cope with life by connecting with others, instilling positive values (such as caring and sharing), improving physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, and providing opportunities to heal from trauma. 

Child rearing practices for Aboriginal people

Child rearing practices are informed by Aboriginal cultural values and beliefs. Deeper understanding of the traditional child rearing practices of Aboriginal Islander families should underpin service delivery.

For Aboriginal people, a collective community focus on child rearing is valuable for children. Key features of Aboriginal family and community life include independence, group cohesion and community loyalty, where child rearing is seen as a shared responsibility among all community members. Raising children to be active participants in the community is seen as the collective responsibility of all members of the community, who each have a role to play in keeping children safe and happy.

Understanding kinship systems for Aboriginal people

Aboriginal kinship and family structures are important, cohesive forces which bind Aboriginal people together in all parts of Australia. Aboriginal people have family and kinship responsibilities that are not typical of non-Aboriginal families. 

Aboriginal people get things done through working through their family and kinship structures. For example, a man or woman may have an obligation to care for the children of their siblings. The children may refer to their uncle and aunty as their ‘father’ or ‘mother’ and their cousins as ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’. They know who their real mother and father are, but under these societal (kinship) laws, other family members have equal importance. 

The common terms of endearment among Aboriginal peoples are ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ when talking to people. These are derived from the kinship terms and associations.

Those part of a kinship group may also make decisions on where a child is cared for and by whom. For example, a parent may assume their child is being cared for by their grandmother, but during this time, the grandmother may visit an aunty, and the child may wish to stay with her. The parent may not be aware of this, but they trust the grandmother and the kinship system, to make the right decisions for the child while they are looking after them. 

Therefore, when working with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family these kinship systems might be apparent if a child is living or spending significant time outside of their parent’s direct care. These systems will also need to be considered in safety and risk assessments and case planning processes. 

Elders 

Who are Elders

There are two distinct categories of Elders, these are family Elders and general community Elders, who may or may not be related to the family. 

An Elder or leader may not necessarily be an older person. They may be a younger person who is well respected within their community and who holds significant community knowledge.

A community Elder is someone who may be part of a local Elders group, such as traditional owners or a historical group. Community Elders may work with Child Safety Service Centres for generic ceremonies such as performing Welcome to Country.

For Child Safety’s purposes, a significant Elder is someone who has:

• a connection to the child through blood in the hierarchy of the family system (for example, a grandmother/grandfather, aunty/uncle) 

or

• someone who has a personal connection with the child or family and who the family has accepted as part of their family structure due to long-term association and respect, although they may not be related by blood. 

The role of Elders

In many communities, Elders are leaders who support and influence the community. Elders are the holders of their mob’s stories and way of living, ensuring it aligns with spiritual, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Many Aboriginal people acknowledge Elders and leaders as ‘Aunty’ or ‘Uncle’, even if the person is not blood-related or kin. This is a sign of respect in Aboriginal culture.

Elders and community leaders hold important community knowledge and have a great deal of influence over when, how and if a community will work with those from outside. Their role can include supporting families through decision making processes with Child Safety.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families may link to their community in varying ways and on different levels. While the assumption is that families engage and connect regularly with the Elders in their family or community and find this connection a source of strength, this may not be the case. Some families may be new to an area or have fractured or severed relationships between family members.

The family may not want members from community Elder groups to be involved in discussions, as they may not necessarily know the child or family or have any connection with them. To include these Elders without the agreement of the family would be disrespectful and culturally insensitive and would breach confidentiality.

Women and men’s business

In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, certain customs and practices are performed by men and women separately and are referred to as men’s and women’s business. These practices have very strict rules that can incur harsh penalties when they are not followed, and some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities continue these segregated practices.

Sorry Business and tombstone unveiling

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people mourn the loss of a family member by following traditional ceremonies and practices, often known as ‘sad/bad news’ or ‘sorry business’.

In Torres Strait Islander culture, unveiling the tombstone of the deceased, generally within a year after death, marks the end of the mourning period.

Sad, bad news and sorry business are important times of mourning when communities have responsibilities and obligations to attend funerals and take part in cultural events, activities, or ceremonies.

The participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in sorry business and tombstone unveiling ceremonies is highly important. Not attending or participating could be regarded by the grieving family members and community as a sign of disrespect and could result in public shunning.

Conducting urgent Child Safety business during sorry business

Sorry Business is a deeply significant cultural practice observed during the mourning period following the death of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person. The duration of Sorry Business is not fixed, as it varies depending on the community, the status of the deceased, and the nature of individual relationships.

While the importance and significance of Sorry Business are deeply respected by Child Safety, there may be situations where urgent matters must still be addressed to meet statutory requirements. In such cases, it is essential that this work is carried out with the utmost respect and in a manner that minimises disruption to the family during their time of mourning.

Consult with cultural practice advisors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practice leaders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and the family’s independent person and consider the following when meeting with the family during sorry business:

• Are there people working in community services who have a close relationship with the family members? Can we work with them in a planned approach (so that urgent work can still be undertaken)?
• Can staff from the community service meet with us and cultural practice advisors? If the children need to be sighted every day, can the person/service do this and liaise with us?
• Are there key family members we can liaise with regularly, who can ensure the safety of the children during this period? (That is, are there people within the family with whom we can develop safety plans?)

Saying a name or displaying images

Community protocols for mourning deceased members can vary between clan groups and individuals, reflecting diverse cultural traditions. A common practice is to change the deceased person’s name due to cultural beliefs, and images of the deceased are often suppressed as a sign of respect.

This suppression may just for a period of time, such as 6 to 12 months. To be culturally sensitive, ask about their protocols and preferences.

Children and young people with diverse SOGIE-SC

Just as a person’s culture forms an important part of their identity, so too does their gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. These terms each have a distinct meaning which is important to understand when engaging with children and young people with diverse gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. 

The acronym SOGIE-SC is a useful way to remember and distinguish these concepts.
SOGIE-SC means:

• SO-Sexual Orientation
• GI-Gender Identity
• E-(Gender) Expression
• SC-Sex Characteristics.

Refer to the practice guide, Supporting children and young people with diverse SOGIE-SC.

In Aboriginal communities, people with diverse SOGIE-SC are often referred to as ‘sistergirls’ and ‘brotherboys’ and in some communities the term ‘trans people’ is also used. However, Torres Strait Islanders do not use specific terms for gender diverse young people. Instead, they choose to remain focussed on family being family, regardless of their sexual orientation.

There are particular difficulties when gendered cultural initiation processes are not able to accommodate an individual’s diversity. Some transgender young people may feel the need to move from their community of origin due to rejection or exclusion.

This rejection can lead to depression and other mental health concerns, including non-suicidal self-injury and suicide. 

Although there is limited data on suicide rates among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex and other diverse (LGBTQIA+) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, statistics do show high suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and much higher suicide rates amount the LGBTQI community compared to the broader community (Burin). (Refer to the Mental Health practice kit Diverse SOGIE-SC people.)