The Age is calling out what Djirra has been saying for years.
The child “protection” system in this state is NOT about protecting Aboriginal kids. It isn’t broken – it’s doing EXACTLY what it’s intended to do – target, blame and punish Aboriginal women by taking our kids.
Aboriginal women in every part of Victoria must have access to a service like Djirra for their safety, one without judgment and within 100km or an hour – wherever she is.
Early legal advice as soon concern about the safety of an Aboriginal child is raised WILL stop our kids being ripped from their mum’s arms and keep mums and children safe and together.
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Taking a child from their parents is always incredibly traumatic, stressful and devastating for everyone involved.
It’s one of the worst things that can happen to a family, with children that are removed far more likely to experience poor life chances compared with other children.
This is not an isolated incident. There are no closed doors for Child Protection workers in this state.
“For a Child Protection worker to walk into a meeting of women – which should be the safest place for mums and young kids to be – and rip an Aboriginal child from their mum’s arms in such a public way shows a breathtaking lack of care, respect, cultural sensitivity, or common decency,” says Djirra CEO Antoinette Braybrook AM.
“Is there any safe place for Aboriginal mums to not feel so isolated and targeted and enjoy watching their children thrive with other kids?”
The women Djirra support tell us over and over about the isolation they feel, how different or ‘other’ they feel in their communities in so many ways.
“For Aboriginal mums, childcare centres and mother’s groups provide a space for us to connect with other women, to be safe and together with our kids,” says Antoinette.
“One poor, racist, or unsafe response from police or other services in the system means a woman loses trust. It will literally stop her from reporting violence she is experiencing and seeking help. It will compromise hers and her kids life and safety.”
It is not accidental that more Aboriginal kids than ever are being are being taken from their parents.
Today in Victoria, Aboriginal children are being removed from their mums, families, and communities at rates far greater than at any time since white settlement.
“It is the direct result of systemic racism in the child protection and out-of-home care systems. We are literally creating another stolen generation,” says Antoinette.
“Family violence is the single, biggest driver of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. If you are an Aboriginal woman in Victoria, you are 45 times more likely to experience family violence than other women.”
Djirra works with women who are blamed and punished for the violence they experience, who have their children taken rather than being supported to escape the violence with their children, and who fear the system more than their abuser.
The system is not set up to keep Aboriginal women and kids safe and together.
Early access to legal representation will STOP our kids being ripped from their mum’s arms.
Our women often don’t know that child protection is a legal issue, or are told by child protection to ‘not involve lawyers.’ Many of our women don’t know that lawyers are available to help them get the support they need to keep them safe and together with their children and to deal with the extreme distress caused by having their kids taken.
“Having a lawyer is not just about being in court,” says Antoinette. “Djirra lawyers assist Aboriginal mums in navigating unfamiliar and complex legal and administrative processes to get their children back home.”
Without independent and trusted legal advice, many women face years in the system desperately trying to bring their children home.
“Families NEVER get that time back – imagine missing your child’s first smile, first words, first steps, first day at school,” says Antoinette.
Djirra provided a detailed submission and gave evidence to the Yoorrook Justice Commission about the urgent need to reform the Child Protection system in this state.
Yoorrook recommended transformational change to the child protection system including the urgent implementation of systems to ensure Aboriginal parents and expectant parents have access to independent, culturally safe legal assistance.
Since then, the number of Aboriginal kids being removed from their families has only increased, with Victoria’s rate of Aboriginal child removal nearly double the national average. As at 30 June 2023, 13.7% of our children in Victoria have been removed from their families.
“It’s been MONTHS since the Government gave in-principle support for a mandatory system of referring mums and mums-to-be to legal assistance as soon as a concern about the safety of an Aboriginal child is raised,” says Antoinette.
“What is the hold up? They have got to act more urgently. Our kids’ safety depends on it.”
The Victorian Government MUST act – our kids are not safe
Djirra is calling for a mandatory system of referring mums and mums-to-be to Djirra for legal advice as soon as a concern about the safety of any Aboriginal child is raised.
“Women must have an advocate who works alongside them to access the support they need,” says Antoinette.
“They must be supported to escape the violence with their children, not punished.”
The Government must also urgently invest in more culturally safe early intervention and prevention services like Djirra that support Aboriginal mums and mums-to-be to connect with other women and build resilience and self-esteem.
“Our kids and their mums deserve to thrive together in their culture and identity, proud and respected in their Aboriginality,” says Antoinette.
Read the Age article here.
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