Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
What is Family Matters?
OUR VISION:
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people grow up safely in their home, receive a
good education, and grow up healthy and proud of who they are
OUR GOAL:
To eliminate the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care
within a generation.
Our Strengths
• Our children have grown up safe, well and cared for in their families, communities and cultural traditions, for thousands of years
• Almost 95% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are cared for in their families of origin
• Of the 5% who in alternative care, over half are cared for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers
• The strengths to redress child wellbeing and safety concerns lie within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Challenges
• Since the Bringing them Home report was released in 1997 the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care has increased dramatically from 2,785 in 1997 to 14,991 in 2013-14, a rise of almost 440 per cent in 16 years.
• Our children make up nearly 35% of all children in out of home care in Australia, despite representing only 5.5% of the population and are over 9 times more likely to be in out-of-home care than their non-Indigenous peers.
Comparison of Government Expenditure on Child Protection / Out-of-Home Care and Early Intervention/Intensive Family Support 2013-2014
Child Protection and Out-of-Home care
3.32 billion
Early Intervention and Intensive Family Support
678 million
National expenditure 2013-14
Strengths Based Early Intervention
Addressing over-representation requires strengths-based approaches that enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead redress of the issues impacting their children,
and to provide love and care for their children in their own cultural ways. Such approaches would reflect an holistic
application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
Strengths Based Early Intervention
Addressing over-representation requires an investment, by government, led and delivered by community, in interventions
that support, heal and strengthen families early in the life cycle and as early as possible when issues that impact family
functioning emerge.
Family Matters Evidence Base Review
What Works? Priorities for Change
• Strengthening Families• Participation• Healing• Accountability
The Vision Going Forward
• Secure national commitment • Support strategic state/territory based strategies • Build Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-
Indigenous community capacity • Establish a monitoring and reporting framework
For more information…Website: http://www.familymatters.org.au/ Like us on Facebook: Family Matters: Kids safe in culture not in care. www.facebook.com/familymatterskidssafeinculturenotincare Email: Emma: [email protected] John: [email protected] or Fleur: [email protected]
