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