The South Australian government is being called on to address the high rates of First Nations children entering state care.
A report released yesterday by the state’s Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young people found the Malinauskas government isn’t properly implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle is a nationally recognised guideline for dealing with First Nations children coming in contact with the care system.
The report found that in 2020-2021, half of all First Nations children in the state had at least one child protection notice compared to one in 12 for their non-Indigenous counterparts.
While the South Australian government agreed to implement the placement principles, along with all other jurisdictions, only 66 per cent of the state’s First Nations children moved into state care complied with the guidelines last year.
The commissioner’s report has 17 recommendations including legislating the principles and giving the youth court powers to make child reunification orders.
