Crisis point for kids
Queensland is celebrating international Children’s Week, yet there is little to celebrate for some of the state’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.
Members of the Combined Voices campaign, launched in August this year, say Indigenous children who are in contact with the child protection system do not have the same chances as other children across the State.
“The current approach to child protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Queensland is failing the very children it is meant to protect and is perpetuating the cycle of disadvantage,” says Di Harvey from Combined Voices.
“Currently Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 6.6 times more likely to be living away from home and 6.4 times more likely to be subject to a care and protection order, she said.
“As at 30 June 2009, 7 500 Indigenous children were living away from home, that’s 33 out of 1,000 children. While for the non-indigenous child population the figure is only 5 out of 1,000.
“The cycle of poverty and despair has contributed to the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child welfare system.
“If something is not done there is a real danger that these children will experience the same lifelong affects and traumas as those of the stolen generation.”
Combined Voices is please that to date some progress has been made with Child Safety Minister Phil Reeves who has established a Taskforce to address the issues.
“Combined Voices look forward to working with the Department of Child Safety to develop a shared solution’ said Jill Lang a Combined Voices campaign supporter.
“This is a solvable problem, but it needs ongoing commitment from government to put in place better prevention and family support services and more culturally appropriate strategies, she said.
“ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need involvement in the development of policy and practices of child protection in their communities.”
The Combined Voices campaign is a collective made up of: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Services Coalition, Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS), Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak, PeakCare Queensland, CREATE Foundation and other supporter organisations.
More information can be obtained from the publication “Stating the Case for Change” available from www.qcoss.org.au/combinedvoices
