Media Release
MEDIA RELEASE
– 20 June 2007
Statement by SNAICC Chairperson
Ms Muriel Bamblett calling on federal government to consult with
Indigenous child and family services to ensure responses to tackling
child abuse in Indigenous communities are strength based, and don't
disempower families instead.
Federal Response to Indigenous
Child Abuse Must Strengthen Not Weaken Families, says Indigenous
Child and Family Services Leader
“The Federal Minister
for Indigenous Affairs’ proposed adoption of Noel Pearson's
plan for tackling child abuse in Indigenous communities must be
strengths-based and not further disempower Indigenous families,”
the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC)
Chairperson, Muriel Bamblett, said today.
"The Indigenous child and family services sector and the Indigenous
community more broadly has not been given an opportunity to see
the plan and already the Minister is suggesting that this is the
way forward," she said.
"Is this new approach for all Indigenous communities? How will
it work where most Indigenous families live – in the cities
and regional centres?"
“Best practice in child and family services suggests that
enabling families to look after children has better results for
children than simply taking away their resources,” Ms Bamblett
said. "You can't pull up your socks if you haven't got any
socks. Merely taking away welfare payments doesn't solve the fundamental
problem of impoverishment, which is the key contributor to family
dysfunction."
“Obviously if children are in any danger of harm then alternative
arrangements, preferably through kinship networks, should be found.
But using the welfare system as a punitive, blunt instrument may
do more harm than good.”
“The problems of a minority of Indigenous families and communities
require a more coherent and coordinated approach. SNAICC has continually
lobbied for better services and raised issues around child abuse
in the Northern Territory four years ago. The Minister needs to
listen to the Indigenous agencies which have the cultural and professional
expertise and runs on the board in dealing with giving families
a hand up."
"We also need to ask why family dislocation and dysfunction
is getting worse and not better under the policies of the current
Federal Government.”
“We call on the Minister to consult with Indigenous child
and family service agencies before establishing any plan for Indigenous
children if he is serious about addressing the underlying issues.”
SNAICC is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander children and their families.
For media comment:
Ms Muriel Bamblett
– SNAICC Chairperson (03) 9489 8099
You
can download the full text pdf version of this media release here
(40 KB)
Related resources and
links
The Northern Territory
Government's report from its Board of Inquiry into Protection
of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse was released on
15 June 2007. You can find it on their website. There is a Summary
and a full Inquiry Report:
Ampe
Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle – “Little Children are
Sacred” Report of the Board of Inquiry into Protection
of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse (Please note, clicking
on this link will take you away from the SNAICC website.)
SNAICC's full submission
to the NT Government's inquiry is available on our Briefing
Papers pages here.
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