Attachment and the (mis)apprehension of Aboriginal children: epistemic violence in child welfare interventions

Figures & data

Figure 1. The Healing Snake. A graphical representation of a map led by Aunty Rita Wright for disrupting persistent cycles of harm and reclaiming Aboriginal conceptualisations of attachment and belonging, in order to shift to positive cycles of Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB; as described by Gee et al., 2014), grounded in Aboriginal worldviews. Maternal/paternal separation is a Western psychological construct interchangeable with maternal/paternal deprivation, family separation and child removal when discussing disrupted attachment relationships. Aboriginal attachment security, or an equivalent term, is yet to be articulated by Aboriginal communities as part of their reclamation of self-determination and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Infographic by Lauren Cammack.

Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A., & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. In P. Dudgeon, H. Milroy, & R. Walker (Eds.), Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice (2nd ed., pp. 55–68). Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

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