Aboriginal children ‘unnecessarily’ removed from families and communities in SA, report finds

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australia’s child protection system has been described as ‘institutionally racist’ and ‘abhorrent’ in a report by the states Aboriginal Children’s Commissioner.

Transcript

00:00Well, this damning assessment of South Australia's child protection system by the State's Commissioner

00:06for Aboriginal Children and Young People was tabled in Parliament yesterday.

00:10The Commissioner, April Lorry, has spent almost two years investigating the removal of Aboriginal

00:15children from their families and has now described the child protection system as institutionally

00:20racist.

00:21Now, this report has found that in a single calendar year, one in two South Australian

00:25Aboriginal children are reported at least once to child protection authorities.

00:30Aboriginal children make up about 5% of all children in South Australia, but this report

00:34has found that they represent more than a third of all children in state care, and Ms

00:39Lorry says that some First Nations babies are being removed just hours after birth.

00:43Now, in this report, she says that the State is unnecessarily removing a disproportionate

00:49and growing number of Aboriginal children from their families and has warned that the

00:53number of children being removed are reaching levels similar to the stolen generations.

00:58Now, Ms Lorry has made 32 recommendations to the State Government.

01:03She spoke on ABC News Breakfast earlier this morning and said the one thing she thinks

01:08the State Government needs to take urgent action on, let's take a listen.

01:13To ensure that we have the primacy of child's best interests and to embed the full Aboriginal

01:19and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle so that it is the paramount approach

01:25to the way decisions are made for Aboriginal children taking into account their best interests

01:31on the basis of their cultural needs and ensuring that our children end up in care with family,

01:38being connected to culture and living in their community.

01:42Now, South Australia, along with all other jurisdictions, has previously agreed to implement

01:48that Child Placement Principle.

01:50The State's Child Protection Minister, Katrine Hildeyard, says the State Government will

01:53now take time to consider the report's recommendations and will respond accordingly.

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