Towards decolonising child protection: Learning from Aotearoa New Zealand

Decolonisation is a growing concern in the UK as social movements seek to highlight colonial legacies in institutional settings. Despite this, it remains unclear how child protection systems could be decolonised, where there has been no research thus far on the relationship between colonial legacies and systemic harm. Although lengths have been taken to address racial disparities within the system, interventions to counter such harm continue to be incorporated piecemeal. Given that young people racialised as non-white continue to feature disproportionately in the child protection system, this proposal recognises that incremental reform is no longer sufficient, and seeks to provide resources for transforming child protection policies and practices. This proposal turns to Aotearoa New Zealand, where the transformation of child protection systems is being shaped by Maori authority and vision. In partnership with the largest kaupapa organisation in Aotearoa's South Island, Te Kaika, I will story this process, understanding the potential and challenges of disrupting colonial legacies in child protection services through their tikanga. I will use a mixed method approach driven by a decolonising methodology: engaging participant observation, policy analysis, and reflective workshops. In turn, the outcomes of this study will be reciprocal: evidencing the voices and solutions of those who have been marginalised to dismantle colonial modes of knowledge in child protection; and offering tangible implications for policy transfer and practice in the UK at a time where decolonisation remains relatively immaterial.