100 signatures reached
To: To the Honourable President and members of the Senate in Parliament assembled
Sorry means you don't do it again
.jpg)
Your petitioners ask that the Senate to uphold the following fundamental principles for Aboriginal children and their communities:
• The right to self-determination so Aboriginal people have the responsibility for decisions about and care of Aboriginal children,
• Massive investment in early intervention services to keep families together and children on country, and
• Fully fund a dedicated program aimed at restoration of children already in the system, employing Aboriginal people to work with families to bring children home to safe and loving environments.
• The right to self-determination so Aboriginal people have the responsibility for decisions about and care of Aboriginal children,
• Massive investment in early intervention services to keep families together and children on country, and
• Fully fund a dedicated program aimed at restoration of children already in the system, employing Aboriginal people to work with families to bring children home to safe and loving environments.
Why is this important?
• The number of Indigenous children taken from their families has doubled in the decade since the 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations. Less than 35 per cent of these children are placed with their Aboriginal family.
• Funding continues to be directed to removing children. There is no serious investment in early intervention that help keep families together, or to meet the unmet needs for housing, employment and other basic services, the root cause of the “neglect” that leads many children to be removed.
• Once kids are removed families struggle to get them back, with little support provided and a system biased against return. Current reforms are placing children in foster care until they are 18 years old almost immediately and there is a further push to ease restrictions on adoption.
• Funding continues to be directed to removing children. There is no serious investment in early intervention that help keep families together, or to meet the unmet needs for housing, employment and other basic services, the root cause of the “neglect” that leads many children to be removed.
• Once kids are removed families struggle to get them back, with little support provided and a system biased against return. Current reforms are placing children in foster care until they are 18 years old almost immediately and there is a further push to ease restrictions on adoption.