Kinship Care and the Experiences of Indigenous Carers in the Child Protection System

Child protection within Australian Indigenous communities continues to be affected by the legacy of the stolen generations. Indigenous children are more readily exposed to social and economic factors which severely impact on parents capacity to safely or adequately care for their children, and 'one size fits all' government responses to this situation means that Indigenous children are six times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in care.

The policy of all Australian States and Territories is to place Indigenous children with extended family whenever possible, so that placement does not sever a child's connection with family and community. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle aims to strengthen family life through recognizing the value of the extended family, kinship arrangements, culture and community in raising Indigenous children. In Australia and internationally there is a trend to favour kinship care because it is less of an upheaval for a child to be placed with someone known to them, and kin placements tend to facilitate ongoing parental contact (Ainsworth & Maluccio 1998). Siblings are more likely to be placed together (Testro & Rolock 1999) and kin are more likely to provide stability and continuity (Worrall 1997).

Indigenous children are more likely to be placed with relatives than non-Indigenous children. However, the high use of kinship care is becoming problematic in terms of effective policies for supporting recruitment, training, reimbursement and support. Kinship carers are increasingly being subjected to the same regulatory frameworks as all other carers, with no recognition that family ties might be more important to the child's well-being than the physical home environment. Unfortunately this emphasis on the regulation of care is not matched by increased attention to support for carers. This is despite the fact that research has found that relative carers would like more support, they generally do not receive as much support as other foster carers, and that carer support enhances placement quality.

This paper outlines progress on research underway about the support needs of Indigenous carers. It gives a voice to carers who are providing a service to government and the community on a voluntary basis that is largely unheralded, while also helping to maintain and strengthen their own extended family. It is the first stage of a larger research endeavor to improve the evidence base for child protection initiatives aimed at Indigenous children and families.

Authors

Ms Patricia Elarde and Dr Clare Tilbury

Biographical note

Patricia Elarde is a mainland Torres Strait Islander and her family originates from the Island of Mer (known as Murray Island), the most easterly island in the Torres Strait. Tricia has many years of experience working with communities, specifically with young children in the sport of basketball. While working for the Department of Health & Ageing, she was involved with various health programs particularly, the promotion of healthy messages to young children in many of the Indigenous communities throughout Australia. She is currently the Policy Officer in the Child Protection Unit of the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council that is the Peak Body for community controlled health services in the State of Queensland.

Clare Tilbury is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Human Services, Griffith University. She is a social worker with over twenty years experience in the child and family welfare field in direct practice, research and policy. She is the Program Convenor for the Bachelor of Social Work Degree to commence at the Griffith University in 2006.