“We Live and Breathe Through Culture”: Conceptualising Cultural Connection for Indigenous Australian Children in Out-of-home Care

ABSTRACT

Indigenous Australian children are overrepresented in the out-of-home care (OOHC) system, with numbers and rates on an upward trajectory. There is now serious concern that this overrepresentation is creating a second Stolen Generations in Australia, noted within policy campaigns such as Family Matters—Kids Safe in Culture, not in Care, and Grandmothers Against Removals. While placement in OOHC is designed to protect children’s long-term safety and wellbeing, it threatens cultural connection, which is fundamental to Indigenous identity and wellbeing. Some government policies that aim to foster cultural connection have not been effective, while others, such as the 2014 permanency legislation in Victoria, arguably threaten cultural connection. This article highlights the vital importance of cultural connection for Indigenous child development, arguing that for Indigenous children, family connection strengthens cultural connection. We argue that family needs to be recognised as a critical component of cultural connection that is equally as important as placement stability in OOHC. Consequently, statutory and community organisations responsible for Indigenous children in OOHC must focus on facilitating and strengthening family relationships, not only to foster cultural connection, but also to explore reunification possibilities.

IMPLICATIONS

• Cultural connection is fundamental to Indigenous identity and wellbeing, but requires family connection if it is to be fostered and strengthened.

• When Indigenous children live in out-of-home care, social workers in child and family welfare need to ensure that children are connected to culture.

澳大利亚弃家少年中原住民比例过高，数目及增长率都呈上升轨迹。现在人们非常担心这种状况会打造出又一个“被盗的一代”。这种担心表现为诸如“家庭很重要”、“文化而非看护让孩子更安全”、“奶奶反对搬走”等政策运动。人们设计了弃家少年的安置计划以保障少年的长期安全及福祉。某些旨在培育文化联系的政府政策并无效果。而2014年维多利亚的永久性立法，也有人说它伤害了文化联系。本文强调了文化联系对原住民少年成长的至关重要性，指出对于这些儿童，家庭联系强化了文化联系。需要认识到家庭是文化联系的重要组成部分，对于弃家少年，其重要性不亚于处所的稳定性。因此，针对弃家少年的法律及社区组织必须致力于促进家庭关系，而不仅仅是文化联系，要能发掘破镜重圆的可能性。

KEYWORDS:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• Indigenous Child Protection
• Indigenous Issues
• Culture
• Child and Family Welfare
• Out-of-home Care

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Australian Government for supporting this research via a Research Training Program Scholarship.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Jacynta Krakouer http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7550-8007