This document describes Aboriginal practice 1 within the Northern Territory (NT) in engaging children to promote their safety. It builds on the expertise and experiences of Aboriginal staff 2 employed by Territory Families, Housing and Communities (TFHC)3 as child protection practitioners, community workers and remote workers. This expertise was identified in a collaborative project between these Aboriginal staff and researchers from Griffith University (Queensland). The project evolved from the TFHC commitment to “Aboriginal staff being at the centre of the Signs of Safety implementation”; that is, a commitment to the participative leadership of Aboriginal staff.4

The learning about Aboriginal-led practices is shared for the partnership of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff in TFHC working to help grow strong, proud and safe children in the Territory. All quotations in this document are provided anonymously as per the research ethics protocol (Griffith Reference No. 2022/289 and Menzies Reference No. 2022-4318). Quotes from the group discussions give a regional designation. Co-producers and the TFHC Aboriginal Cultural Security Committee all agreed that this was important. Many co-producers observed the regional differences in practices as well as the similarities.