First contact between Aboriginal families and child protection systems sets trajectories for generations. Drawing from Yoorrook Justice Commission evidence, this plenary examines how bias becomes action in those crucial first moments - from child protection workers in birthing suites to risk assessments that mistake culture for deficit.

Aboriginal mothers face surveillance instead of support, with poverty pathologized and trauma responses criminalized. Yet when Aboriginal organizations lead the first response, family preservation rates triple. This presentation offers practical transformation strategies for practitioners, demonstrating how to change that first question from "What's wrong?" to "How can I help?" can break cycles of intergenerational trauma.