In this piece, Dulcie Pensio, a proud Torres Strait Islander elder and long-time advocate for children, families, and community, shares her reflections on what true care means — and why listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and families is essential to real reform.
My name is Dulcie Pensio. I come from the Torres Strait Islands, and my culture has always been the heart of who I am and the work I do.
For me, it’s about ensuring that any families who come into child safety are connected — especially to their own family and culture. It’s about making sure they don’t lose that sense of belonging or the hope that things can be better.
I’m a Family Group Meeting Convener with the Department of Families. The work I do isn’t just a job. It’s work I love — work I’m deeply passionate about. Every day, I see families, carers, and children going through incredibly tough times, and yet I also see strength, resilience, and love.
Despite what families may be experiencing — or what our staff, children, or carers might be facing — we still show up. We show up because, ultimately, we want what’s best for the child. We want to see them safe, strong, and surrounded by people who care about them.
What it all comes down to, for me, is respect and understanding. Genuine relationships. That’s the heart of what we do — relationships with staff, with families, with children, with carers, with communities.
If that could be genuinely understood across the system — if we could see each other not through policies or procedures but through compassion and connection — I believe we would have fewer children in care.
Because in the end, it’s all about belonging. And when families belong, children thrive.
This story is part of Together Union’s campaign to ensure that the lived experiences of Child Safety workers shape the Queensland Commission of Inquiry.
