Title: INDIGENOUS FAMILIES: (Special Edition of Family Matters -the Journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies)
Abstract: INDIGENOUS FAMILIES (Special edition of Family Matters -the journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies) Matthew Gray and Ellen Fish (eds) Melbourne: The Australian Institute of Family Studies 2006, 96 pp, JSSN 1030-2646 (Print), JSSN 1832-8318 (Online)Family Matters is the refereed journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies. A Issue No 75 focuses on Indigenous children, families and communities. This is a fascinating collection of papers on a range of social issues facing Indigenous families in contemporary Australia and on adverts by individuals and organisations to improve social conditions: conditions widely recognised as underpinning the poor health status of Indigenous Australians. The topics covered span the intergenerational effects of forced separation, crime and injustice, early intervention programs to prevent social problems, the economic value of Indigenous people harvesting wild resources, Indigenous people's views on out-of-home care and on family decision-making, community development, and Indigenous employment in the Australian Public Service. The stories come from across Australia, particularly Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria, and include urban, rural and remote environments. While the key messages are not necessarily new, the papers illustrate well how a variety of social influences play out to effect the health of Indigenous people, and how individuals and organisations are striving to improve health and social outcomes.The content swings from shocking statistical measures of mental health and well-being, emotional and behavioural difficulties, personal stories of growing up in marginalised communities and - despite the best efforts of parents and senior members of the communities - the frequently tragic outcomes; to the strength and resilience of the people who survive and emerge from these circumstances as leaders and advocates for their communities. 'Where poverty and social exclusion are entrenched, failure of support systems is a more common phenomenon'. This quote captures a pervasive theme of the issue and demands a concerted response which focuses on the resources needed for parents and communities to overcome the barriers.A common theme to emerge from the papers is the ongoing impacts of forced separation and relocation of Indigenous people, and the effects of such policies on current land rights initiatives, the dislocation of families, traditional ways of provisioning and involvement in the criminal justice system. Data from WA suggests the impact at an individual, personal level at least, is attenuated over two generations, with children whose grandparent, but not parent, has been removed being less likely to suffer effects. However, other papers support the contention that the impacts related to land rights and activities such as harvesting of wild resources, and health consequences of these impacts, may be longer lasting but more difficult to discern.The inadequacies in services and the ongoing effects of social dislocation are illustrated by the paper on out-of-home care. This describes a five fold, over-representation of Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous children in such circumstances, the insufficient numbers of Indigenous carers, the importance of maintaining connections to family, community and culture for those in care, and the need for the development of services to meet the needs of young people in care. An unwillingness of potential carers to be associated with the formal out-of-home care system is described, and the tension between cultural commitment to community and an aversion to formal child welfare is seen as a fundamental barrier to enhancing the availability of culturally appropriate placements. …
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
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