First Nations children least likely to be placed with family

New data from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Northern Territory child protection system are the least likely to be placed with Aboriginal families out of anywhere in Australia.

The vast majority of  out-of-home care (OOHC) placements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the NT are not in accordance with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Placement Principle (the Principle), the data reveals, something which is of grave concern to advocates. 

When the principle is fully applied, SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said, children have the best chance at growing up safe and strong in community and culture.

“We know when children are able to maintain connections they have better outcomes, interrupting the trajectory between child protection and juvenile justice systems,” she outlined.

The Northern Territory has one of the highest rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care compared to non-Indigenous children and one of the lowest rates of placements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

All Australian states and territories have a legislated commitment that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC have a right to maintain a connection to culture and when they are removed from family, courts and child protection services must prioritise placing children with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relatives and kin.

In contrast to moves in the NT, states like Victoria and Queensland have invested in implementing the Principle in recent years, strengthening legislation and handing over authority for many child protection decisions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.

While removal rates remain far too high, children in out-of-home care in Victoria are placed with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family more often and are more likely to be reunified with their birth parents than anywhere else in the country.

“Despite the shockingly low commitment from the NT government to uphold the Principle as it is, the government is threatening to give the courts and child protection authorities greater powers to ignore the principle when making decisions about the safety and wellbeing of our children,” Ms Liddle said.

“By watering down the Principle, the NT Government is disregarding an evidence-based framework designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and endorsed by governments across Australia.

“The worst thing governments can do is ignore the evidence and dismantle the policies that are contributing to Closing the Gap.”