‘Most Australians take for granted the right to grow up happy, safe and well, learning and surrounded by family. Yet, as you read this, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being removed from their families, communities and cultures at a rate nearly 10 times that of non-Indigenous children.
‘For Aboriginal children, growing up with family and culture is not only a human right, it is profoundly fundamental to the healing process from intergenerational trauma caused by decades of injustice.
‘Reflecting on the political ideology of the past few decades, we have a system that has perceived Aboriginal families as needing to be “fixed”; a mindset that causes government to do things “to” us and not “with” us. We have a systemic deficit approach towards policy surrounding the First Peoples of this country.
‘Nowhere is this more destructive than in the way we treat the protection, safety and security of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. These dangerously entrenched attitudes lie at the heart of many systemic inequalities, and cause us grave concern for our children’s’ futures.
‘Tonight, around 17,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will sleep away from their homes. Away from their families and separated from their cultural identity. We know without a major change that number will triple by 2035.
‘When the ground-breaking Bringing Them Home report was released in 1997, Australia was shocked to learn that 20% of children living in out-of-home care were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Now, 20 years later, our children make up 35% of those in care. This is a national crisis.’
- Too many Indigenous children are taken from their families – it doesn’t have to happen »
- ‘Unfinished business’ of stolen generations puts more children at risk – report »
- Stolen Generations survivors call for national compensation fund »
- Removing Aboriginal children from their families has failed. There is another way »
- Racism alleged as Indigenous children taken from families – even though state care often fails them »
- The stolen generations never ended – they just morphed into child protection »
- Indigenous children are leaving out-of-home care to uncertain futures. This is the support they need »
- The Family Matters report 2020 »
- Governments must let go of their power over the lives of Australia’s First Nations children »
- First Nations families need support to stay together, before we create another Stolen Generation »
- Thirteen years after ‘Sorry’, too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still being removed from their homes »
- Still they take the children away while our report gathers dust »
- First Nations children are still being removed at disproportionate rates. Cultural assumptions about parenting need to change »
- Number of Indigenous children being removed from homes increasing at ‘staggering rate’, new report says »
- Reunifying First Nations families: the only way to reduce the overrepresentation of children in out-of-home care »
- A numbers game: Indigenous children in care and the threat of another stolen generation »
- ‘People think it’s all in the past’: push to reform system taking Aboriginal kids from families »
- National Sorry Day is a day to commemorate those taken. But ‘sorry’ is not enough – we need action »
- More and more First Nations kids in child protection system »
- Aboriginal organisations should be given more control over Indigenous kids in child protection system, advocacy group says »
- One in nine Indigenous babies are taken from their parents in Victoria. The system is failing »
- New report reveals grim lack of progress to cut overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids in out-of-home-care »
- I was 10 years old when I was taken from my home. The stolen generations never ended »
- Life Without Barriers will transfer responsibility of fostered Aboriginal children to Indigenous-led services
- Aboriginal child protection systems prioritise keeping kids safe. Claims to the contrary are offensive
- Why are First Nations children still not coming home from out-of-home care?
- Rate of Aboriginal children entering care prompts calls for earlier family support