The rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care is almost ten times that of other children and continues to grow.
Speaking with Living Black Radio, SNAICC Director Sue-Anne Hunter discusses the importance of keeping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with family and community and the guiding principles that are in place, mentioning the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
www.snaicc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/03167.pdf
The policy established in response to the trauma experienced by individuals, families, and communities from public policy that involved the widespread removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Sue-Anne believes early interventions and support services should be in place at the Kindergarten and Day Care level to help struggling families keep their children.
In 2017 SNAICC - National Voice for our Children - the peak non-government body representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families will hold its National Conference in Canberra. The conference will focus on The continuation of a cycle of child removal, its causes, and consequences.
2017 also marks 20 years since the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families - The Bringing Them Home Report.
This year's National Child Protection Week theme was Stronger Communities, Safer Children. Throughout National Child Protection Week SNAICC – National Voice for our Children - encouraged all Australians to reflect on the incredible community-led support systems in place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and the decisions we can make to ensure these supports are accessible for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the future.
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Wayne Quilliam Photography
SNAICC was formally established in 1981 after the creation of such a body was proposed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at the ‘First Aboriginal Child Survival Seminar’ held in Melbourne in 1979. The organisation elected its first national executive in 1982 and had received Federal Government funding support from 1983.
SNAICC also has a network and subscriber base of over 11,000 organisations and individuals from community-based services and individuals and state and federal agencies nationally who share an interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and children
Vision
An Australian society in which the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families are protected; our communities are empowered to determine their own futures; and our cultural identity is valued.
Purpose
SNAICC is the national non-governmental peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We work for the fulfillment of the rights of our children, in particular, to ensure their safety, development, and well-being.
For more information on the 2017 conference visit http://www.snaicc.org.au