Removing babies is still harming First Nations families

Today Marks 17 Years Since the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples

Today, we reflect on the apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples for the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families between the mid-1800s and 1970s. However, communities and researchers are concerned that child protection systems are creating "another stolen generation" and a "crisis in infant removals".

What We Already Knew

Whistleblowers, including a former Aboriginal family support officer, have reported distressing child protection processes, including the removal of babies immediately following delivery. Families that interact with child protection systems often already face multiple and complex forms of adversity, including poverty, homelessness, racism, intergenerational trauma, family violence, disability, mental illness, substance use, and incarceration.

The Perinatal Period: A Window for Early Intervention

The perinatal period offers a unique window for early intervention and family support to reduce the risk of removal. This could involve greater help accessing suitable housing and addressing family violence, and enhancing access to healthcare that is culturally safe and trauma-informed, before and after birth.

What We Found

Our systematic review examined 24 studies about child protection services becoming involved with families during pregnancy and the first year after birth. We looked at what parents told researchers about their experiences and found striking similarities, regardless of where they lived. Globally, there were comparatively few studies including First Nations families. But both Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents reported punitive processes that had an enduring impact on the health and wellbeing of the parent and family.

Four Themes Emerge

Four themes emerged from these lived experiences. Here, we’ve included the voices of Aboriginal mothers who participated in a 2023 Australian study to illustrate the importance of these issues to Indigenous families.

1. A Lack of Support before and after Removal

Parents often found the birth of their babies life-changing. However, many believed child protection services didn’t adequately understand their experience or inform and support them at this time. Mothers felt confused and overwhelmed, experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and enduring grief following the removal of their babies.

2. Devastating Impact on Relationships and Wellbeing

Mothers often felt isolated and described negative interactions not only with child protection workers but also with partners and families. Fear of removal also prevented mothers from seeking antenatal care or professional support services, further compromising health and wellbeing.

3. Feeling Powerless in the System

Many mothers had been in care themselves. They felt unfairly punished, because it was assumed they would not be capable parents due to past and present trauma. First-time parents felt especially powerless to prove their parenting capacity.

4. Harmful Judgments and Stereotypes

Insufficient support for poverty and homelessness before removal made it impossible to meet child protection requirements. A mother who was homeless at the time her baby was removed said, "We had got secure accommodation with family. We weren’t doing any drugs; we were on the methadone… we had a caseworker… They led us to believe we’re keeping her… [then] they handed me a piece of paper and said, ‘We’re taking your baby’. I was in shock… I felt like I was ambushed."

Where to From Here?

In Australia, current Indigenous-led research and the work of Aboriginal state, territory, and national children’s commissioners is critical to guiding the development of support for families to stay together and thrive. Parents and researchers are united about the immediate need for child protection systems to:

• Provide early and sustained family-centred support during pregnancy and beyond
• Address families’ practical and material needs, including poverty and homelessness
• Train professionals to reduce power imbalances and build trusted relationships
• Offer trauma-informed and culturally matched support services
• Provide immediate and ongoing mental health support if babies are removed

Conclusion

Today, we reflect on the apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples and the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous families. Our findings highlight the need for a more compassionate, culturally safe, and trauma-informed approach to child protection. By centering the voices of Indigenous parents and communities, we can work towards a more just and equitable future.

FAQs

Q: What is the current state of child protection systems?
A: Child protection systems are still creating a "stolen generation" and a "crisis in infant removals".

Q: What are the main concerns for Indigenous families?
A: The main concerns include a lack of support before and after removal, devastating impact on relationships and wellbeing, feeling powerless in the system, and harmful judgments and stereotypes.

Q: What can be done to address these concerns?
A: Child protection systems must provide early and sustained family-centred support during pregnancy and beyond, address families’ practical and material needs, train professionals to reduce power imbalances, and offer trauma-informed and culturally matched support services.

Q: What is the role of Indigenous-led research in addressing these concerns?
A: Indigenous-led research is critical to guiding the development of support for families to stay together and thrive.