.svg){kind=icon}
Abstract:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to suffer the intergenerational effects of past welfare practices including the forced removal of their children and dislocation from their communities, country and culture. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also experience higher levels of poverty and social disadvantage than non-Indigenous Australians. The combined effects of past practices and current disadvantages present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities with extreme challenges in supporting families to ensure children stay safe and are cared for appropriately. Bringing them Home, the inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families reported that: ‘Between 1 in 3 and 1 in 10 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families from 1910 to 1970 ... [M]ost families have been affected, in one or more generations, by the forcible removal of one or more children.’ (Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, 1997, p. 37.) The inquiry found that some of the underlying causes for the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care include: • The legacy of past policies of cultural assimilation; • The intergenerational effects of forced removals; • Poverty; • Cultural differences in child-rearing practices. (Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, 1997, p. 37.) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are almost five times more likely to be placed in out-of-home care compared with non-Indigenous children (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007). Yet there is a serious shortage of culturally appropriate placements to accommodate them. Even with intensive recruitment efforts, professionals have been unable to recruit sufficient Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers to meet the demand.
Notes:
A project profiling promising practices in the recruitment, assessment, training and support of carers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and the provision of services to Indigenous children in care. A series of booklets discussing the findings can be downloaded.
