As child protection week comes to a close, the country's peak body says the conversation needs to continue.
The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) founded the event in 1987, and leads it every year.
This year's themes, 'Every child, in every community, needs a fair go' and 'Every conversation matters', aimed to encourage open dialogue on the issues.
Though sensitive, and for some traumatic, it's something the association says is critical to child safety.
Kylie Captain, a Gamilaroi woman and NAPCAN director, says the theme also acknowledges the systemic inequalities that have silenced First Nations communities.
"A fair go means needing access to culturally safe environments by establishing strong community connections, and opportunities that are strength-based," Captain told NITV.
"It also means that conversations about their welfare need to be inclusive, respectful, and based on listening to the voices of young people."
Addressing gaps in our understanding
Nationally, in 2021–22, 57,975 First Nations children came into contact with the child protection system, or 170 per 1000 children, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Part of addressing the devastating impact behind these figures is building an understanding amongst the Australian public, which includes a process of truth-telling.
Koongurrukun man, Youth Advisory Council Co-Chair and NT Youth Coordinator Joshua Morris says that it is important to note the history of "child protection" facilitated by the government in regards to First Nations youth.
"The systems and lines of questioning used to assess a child’s safety, and their parent’s capacity, have not been designed to uphold the rights and best interests of First Nations children and their communities."
Morris highlights the South Australian Inquiry into the application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle in the removal and placement of Aboriginal children and young people, where evidence was found that parenting capacity assessments and psychological assessments that are used in the child protection system are all based on Eurocentric models and individualistic concepts of parenting and family.
"We know that this does not represent our ways of being and doing, yet in South Australia alone, 1 in 10 First Nations children have been removed from their families, with 62 per cent of them placed in a non-Aboriginal home," Morris told NITV
Conversations are critical
Public discourse has historically been missing Blak voices and understanding about First Nations communities, something which has to be done differently.
Kylie Captain says that public conversations about child protection are crucial because they help raise awareness and create a collective responsibility to safeguard children.
"The public needs to understand that effective child protection involves listening to and supporting our families and communities in ways that align with their cultural values and strengths, rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions."
However both Captain and Morris highlight the need for these conversation to be done in the right way.
Morris says that if we want to see improvement, it is critical for the public to engage in genuine truth-telling on the topic of Australia's Child Protection systems.
"We need to acknowledge the punitive and discriminatory ideologies that designed these structures in the first place, and ensure that through conversations we are speaking strength into our First Nations ways of being and doing."
The need for Blak youth voices
A key voice that can often be overlooked when conversations about child protection are taking place, particularly at an institutional level, is that of our youth.
Captain says that when we include our young people in institutional-level conversations, policies and programs are more likely to reflect their needs and lived experiences.
"These young people have firsthand knowledge of the issues that affect them and their communities, and they should be empowered to share their perspectives and solutions.
"To achieve this, we need to create safe spaces for youth to speak, ensure their voices are heard at decision-making tables, and engage with them on their terms, respecting their culture and identity.
"Youth advisory groups, community consultations, and platforms that amplify their voices are practical ways to include our youth in these important conversations."
Morris echoes this based of what he is seeing on the ground.
"You cannot build a tower from the top down, you must start on the ground level in order to set the right foundations for a strong structure."
"We know there are currently significant correlations between those who have been engaged in our child protection systems, and those who later find themselves in detention, therefore it is not difficult to locate the voices we need to include, it is only a matter of simply doing it."
