Family Matters Report 2024 release – SNAICC in the News
SNAICC - National Voice for our Children
non-government peak body working for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
The Family Matters Report 2024 was released this week on Thursday 21 November, revealing that, despite a growing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system, the organisations that have proven to get the best results in cultural support, reunification with kin and connection to culture receive the least amount of funding.
The 2024 Family Matters Report reveals a disturbing increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering the child protection system, with numbers rising to 22,908—a jump of over 500 in just one year. Despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being 10.8 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to enter out-of-home care, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations receive only 6 per cent of government funding.
Calls are mounting for a significant reallocation of funds to Aboriginal-led child protection programs, which demonstrate culturally effective solutions. SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said that Aboriginal community-controlled organisations are uniquely positioned to keep children safe, cared for, and connected to their families and culture, yet governments continue to underfund early intervention and family support, directing 85 per cent of resources to out-of-home care services.
As reported by the ABC, two cases were examined as examples of Aboriginal community-controlled services providing effective support to children and families to keep their children with kin. Mary, a mother from Queensland’s Lockhart River, had four children enter the child protection system. However, with the help of Mookai Rosie, an Aboriginal women’s health service, Mary facilitated a cultural adoption, placing her baby with a family member. Mary and the adoptive parent now live in the same community, with Mary remaining part of her child’s life. Mookai Rosie CEO Theresa Simpson emphasised the importance of this approach’s success because it allows the child to grow up in family, culture and community.
Another example is KWY Aboriginal Corporation, which runs the Finding Families pilot program, Tawata Pari, which uses Family Led Decision Making Principles to support engagement with kin, and other culturally safe networks for the purpose of identifying and securing permanent and short-break (respite) placements. The program’s ‘mob talking to mob’ approach has built trust and delivered significant results. Tawata Pari, which costs $1.3 million annually, has saved the government an estimated $9.6 million by placing children with family. Program leader Ruka Taite talked about the emotional and cultural benefits, describing the deep impact on families and communities. However, the program’s future is uncertain, with funding set to expire in January 2025.
These case studies demonstrate the effectiveness and transformative power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, however, without sustained investment and systemic reform, the gap between the need for such programs and the resources allocated to them will only widen.
Catherine Liddle reiterated the urgency for governments to transfer authority and adequate funding to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, warning that the National Agreement on Closing the Gap’s Target 12—to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent by 2031—will remain unachievable without systemic change. Catherine says that governments must get serious about transforming the way they do business with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations by transferring authority and adequate resourcing that will keep families together and prevent the landslide of children entering the misnamed protection system.