Australian Journal of Social Issues最新文献

Dual-system young people who crossover between child protection and youth justice systems experience a range of health and educational issues. However, very little research has examined the health and education needs of these young people, especially in Indigenous populations. A retrospective cohort study was established using individual-level linked records to examine the child protection, youth justice, health, and education (multisystem) involvement of young Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify different groups within the study cohort of 2584 young people with shared patterns and levels of health, education, and social service system involvement from 10 to 17 years of age, inclusive. Three groups of young people were identified, with patterns of higher, more intensive levels of multisystem involvement being associated with a descending social gradient and increasing proportion of health and social service use across the population. A culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach to multiagency collaboration is needed to better support the most vulnerable young people in the NT based on shared priorities targeting educational engagement, strengthening families, and unmet mental health needs.

There is a need to better understand the physical and mental health of mothers of Aboriginal children who enter out-of-home care to prevent removals. Evidence suggests that families involved in child protection systems often experience significant needs that may culminate in child removals. For Aboriginal families, these are compounded by the inter-generational trauma from colonisation which has resulted in health issues, poverty and family violence. This is a retrospective cohort study, using linked administrative data, involving all (17,060) mothers of Aboriginal children born in Western Australia between 2000 and 2013. The health outcomes of mothers whose child was placed in care (8%) were compared to those of mothers whose child was notified to child protection authorities (30%) or had no child protection involvement (62%). A higher proportion of mothers of children in care had mental health diagnoses, hospitalisations related to alcohol/drug issues and assault prior to child removal, compared to mothers of children never in care. Mothers of children in care experienced multiple health issues, including 27% experiencing three or more conditions within 5 years prior to child removal. There is an urgent need to provide appropriate support to these mothers, and for coordination and integration of service provision to address their needs.

In Western Australia (WA), a coronial inquest into the death of a child who had been in care is mandatory. An inquest is a public hearing, a fact-finding process to determine the cause of the death, prevent future deaths from occurring in similar circumstances and to comment on the public health implications. With these functions in mind, an analysis of the inquest reports regarding the deaths of children aged 13–18 years who were in care was undertaken. The aims were to make visible the representations and frames that describe child protection practice in relation to these children who were in out of home care, the complex problems faced by their families and the care and support provided to them by the child welfare system. We identified three frames: blame featuring individual responsibility and parental deficits, disengagement and service delivery failure as a missed opportunity. We conclude that what is needed in coronial inquests is a fuller representation of broader systemic issues that are inevitably consequential for child and family well-being. Highlighting social and structural inequalities, trauma, discrimination and racism could arguably maximise the potential for coronial findings to reflect the need for supportive practice and a more preventative approach.

Child protection systems in Australia have been criticised for racialized policies that result in the over-policing of First Nations families and the removal of First Nations children. Under current colonial structures, “protection from harm” is used to justify the removal of First Nations children from community—sometimes permanently—at the expense of culture under the justification of timely decision making to achieve “permanency.” This is inconsistent with First Nations worldviews and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It also contributes to the sustained and increasing over-representation of First Nations children in child protection and Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) systems in all Australian states and territories. Drawing on interviews with 32 First Nations and 5 non-indigenous people in the state of New South Wales, Australia, this paper explores participants' perceptions of the purpose of placements in statutory OOHC for First Nations children. The findings highlight issues at the systemic, policy and practice levels that result in permanency being equated with disconnection from family and culture, at the expense of restoration. A lack of consultation with community and an inability to participate in decision-making has led to the continuation of colonial policies that prioritise safety through removal and disconnection. We discuss how these policy changes neglect community advice, and entrench the view that “permanency” is best achieved via permanent care away from family and community. We conclude by discussing the importance of genuine self-determination for the wellbeing of First Nations children, families, and culture.

The referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in Australia resulted in defeat for the Yes case on October 14, 2023, by a margin of 40% to 60%. The referendum proposed a constitutional amendment to establish a representative body made up of Indigenous Australians to advise federal parliament on matters affecting the Indigenous community. Polling suggested that the referendum would defy the poor record of mid-term referendums, but the No campaign prevailed. Assessments of this defeat are important to understanding future prospects for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This article develops several hypotheses about factors driving the No result, testing them with a representative sample of 1204 voters conducted in October 2023. Results suggest that the No vote was driven by Coalition partisanship, low trust in media and politics, and most of all, weaker perceptions of No voters of the discrimination faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Australia's newly established wellbeing framework, ‘Measuring What Matters’ (MWM), seeks to measure social progress and influence policy by reporting on 50 wellbeing indicators within five ‘themes’. In this article, we assess whether the MWM framework adequately measures what people in Australia value for their wellbeing by examining both the process of the framework's development and its content. Firstly, we consider whether the consultation process undertaken was adequate. Secondly, we examine whether the MWM indicators align with existing research on what people in Australia value for their wellbeing. We identified limitations across all aspects of the consultation examined: its comprehensiveness, reach, transparency and extent to which it genuinely incorporated community feedback into the framework. While the MWM framework was found to broadly align with existing research on what Australians value for their wellbeing, there were some notable divergences. We urge the Australian Government to undertake a comprehensive, wide-reaching, transparent and genuine consultation across Australia. Furthermore, we recommend that the Australian Government develop new indicators in consultation with the public. Enhancing the MWM framework will help establish it as a cornerstone of government decision making, and importantly, ensure that it does what it purports to do: measure what Australians value for their wellbeing.

Recent policy discourse in Australia focuses on the minimum age of criminal responsibility with minimal attention to prevention strategies. Guided by theory which views child development within nested environmental contexts and recognises the cumulative impact of risk factors, this retrospective cohort study uses de-identified linked administrative data to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, alleged offending among children aged 10–13 years (recorded in police data). The study included all Northern Territory (NT) government school children who turned 10 between 1/7/2014 and 30/6/2015 (turning 14 before 1/7/2019) and remained in NT until age 14 (n = 2530). Results showed 10.3% of children had at least one alleged offence before age 14, with higher rates among Aboriginal children. High levels of ‘crossover’ with the child protection system was identified among alleged offenders with 87.8% subject to child protection notifications and 10.0% with experiences of out-of-home care. Mental health issues (20.3%), exposure to domestic violence (64.0%) and school changes (57.5%) were common among alleged offenders. The findings suggest alleged youth offending has multiple risk factors, requiring a paradigm shift towards multifaceted, prevention-focused and culturally responsive interventions. This includes early intervention, public health approaches and acknowledging the existence of institutional racism and intergenerational trauma.

Reunification, or restoration of children from Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) is very rare. Using evidence generated from the New South Wales-based Aboriginal-led research Bring them home, keep them home, this paper examines and celebrates the resistance and resourcefulness of 20 Aboriginal families who navigated a child protection system designed to separate their children from them. Aboriginal families have described the struggle to have their children restored from OOHC following removal as being treated as a game, where the child protection system holds all the power, designs the rules which often change and are unclear, and operates on an uneven playing field. The findings uncover a variety of strategies families used to keep their families together and attempt to succeed in the game. While professionals and practitioners working in the child and family sector are part of the system, families identified practical ways that practitioners can play the game to support them by adopting a justice-doing approach, moving from a punitive role to one of advocacy and activism.

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) young people encounter unique circumstances, which can lead to high levels of distress. However, an up-to-date comprehensive literature review synthesising knowledge concerning mental health issues faced by CALD young people is lacking. This scoping review aims to identify the barriers and facilitators of access and engagement with Australian mental health services experienced by CALD young people. Research databases were searched to identify studies concerning CALD young people aged 12–25, parents of CALD youth and mental health workers. A total of 15 original research papers in peer-reviewed journals and grey literature meeting inclusion criteria were examined. Using thematic analysis, we categorised data according to (1) subjective perceptions, (2) structural and service barriers and (3) service and community facilitators in accessing and engaging with mental health services. Subjective perceptions showed four barriers related to cultural concepts, trust, stigma and family involvement. Identified barriers were related to financial, transportation and complex, poor culturally responsive services, whilst facilitators focussed on flexible service delivery, capacity of practitioners and social relationships. Respecting young people's preference to involve parents, adopting community-integrated approaches and providing culturally responsive psychological and practical support are crucial to enhance mental health access and engagement.