Urgent action is needed to address a growing crisis in the removal of Aboriginal children from their families which are “approaching levels akin to the Stolen Generations”, an inquiry has warned.
Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, April Lawrie, has released Holding On To Our Future, the final report of the inquiry into the removal and placement of Aboriginal children in South Australia.
It found Aboriginal children are over-reported, over-investigated and over-represented in removals and long-term Guardianship orders.
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“If nothing changes, in South Australia, 140 in every 1000 Aboriginal children will be in state care by 2031,” the inquiry report says.
The inquiry examined how the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle was applied in the removal and placement of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
Lawrie conducted the inquiry as a result of the concerning rates of Aboriginal child removals, extremely low rates of reunification with family of origin, and high levels of non-Aboriginal care for Aboriginal children in SA.
She has called on the SA government to act, saying it already knows its investment in early intervention and support is insufficient.
“Failure to act means that struggling, vulnerable families will continue to encounter the child protection service system at increasing rates, and that Aboriginal children being removed from their families will mean the government will pay the cost one way or another, for matters that are preventable,” she said.
“The Aboriginal community will no longer tolerate this cost to continue to be at the expense of our children and future generations.”
The two-year inquiry heard from more than 400 Aboriginal children, young people, families, carers, community members and workforce and more than 500 sector stakeholders.
The report notes: “The child protection service system is not equipped to meet the cultural needs of Aboriginal people in South Australia today; the numbers of Aboriginal children being removed by the state are approaching levels akin to the Stolen Generations, that were driven from earlier laws and policies enforced in the protection and assimilation eras.”
Lawrie’s inquiry delivered six key findings:
- There is no accountability and oversight for improving outcomes or performance monitoring
- There is insufficient funding to meet the demand for early intervention
- Unnecessary removals are disproportionate and growing, causing long-term harm
- The principle has been taken out of the hands of the Aboriginal community
- There is a need to involve Aboriginal people in decisions about Aboriginal children
- There is systemic racism and cultural bias in child removal and placement decisions
SA has seen a 116.3 per cent increase in Aboriginal children in care between 2011 and 2021 and has the second-highest rate of Aboriginal children on long-term guardianship orders, and the second-lowest rate of reunification for Aboriginal children.
The report makes 48 findings and 32 recommendations to address how the principle is applied to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in the child protection system and ensure Aboriginal children grow up within family, community and culture.