Family support program needed to help prevent care placements for Indigneous children

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Children in the NT are being put into the child protection system at twice the national rate. In a bid to try and prevent that happening an Indigenous women's group has set up a family support program.

Transcript

00:00 In the NT regional town of Catherine, a local Jawan women's group has created a welcoming

00:07 space to attract local families.

00:09 "Yeah, it's really nice, especially with my little one. He likes to explore."

00:14 "Oh, it's good. Sarah can have a draw and she'll relax in the cool."

00:19 The group has gained NT government funding for the centre to help connect with families

00:25 and for a programme offering intensive support to households who've been reported to child

00:30 protection authorities to help stop them losing their kids.

00:35 "Yes, we want to stop our kids going into more non-indigenous care."

00:42 The Banatjal women are hoping their family engagement programme will be more successful

00:47 than some non-indigenous programmes run in the past because of their close links within

00:52 their communities.

00:53 "We're trying to engage with our community clients in a more cultural way instead of

01:00 the government is making decisions for our children."

01:04 The government has found it is helping to reduce the number of children in care locally.

01:09 But the territory is still taking kids away from families at twice the national rate and

01:15 90% are indigenous. Almost half of all NT kids were reported as harmed last year.

01:23 "Has the situation for Aboriginal children and families gotten any better in the Northern

01:27 Territory? I have to question that because the data is evident."

01:32 The government is putting increasing numbers of Aboriginal kids into non-indigenous care

01:38 instead of with extended family.

01:41 "We look towards kinship care, particularly for our Aboriginal children. But from time

01:46 to time we are not able to provide places such as that."

01:50 The acting commissioner is calling on the government to fund more indigenous run services

01:55 and do more to help the third of NT children living below the poverty line.

02:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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