Dr Betty Luu (USYD)

Abstract

This talk considers the pervasiveness of Western models of thinking in relation to child development and parenting practices, and its impact on child welfare practices for ethnic minority families in Australia. It highlights key projects I have been involved in at the Research Centre for Children and Families that spurred my thinking about how culture and cultural diversity are conceptualised in the child protection and out of home care context. I first summarise the findings from a casefile review of adoptions from out-of-home care finalised by the Supreme Court in 2017 to show the critical role practitioners and adoptive parents play in shaping the attitudes of children and young people have toward ‘contact’ with their families of origin and their cultural identities. Alongside reflections of my experience as a second-generation Chinese-Australian working within academic research settings, these culminated in a co-written chapter in the Handbook of Critical Whiteness to critique the discipline of psychology with calls for further considerations about the influence of White dominant frameworks of development on approaches to supporting vulnerable families, focusing on ethnic minority families in the Australian child welfare system. Cultural competence is critical to improving research and practice: to know what aspects of a child and family’s culture are relevant for consideration to ensure safety and wellbeing.