Whilst the BTH report recognised that the full scale of removals may never be known, it confidently proposed that between in three and one in ten Indigenous children ‘one were forcibly removed from their families from approximately 1910 through to1970’. Historians have estimated that this number would mean between 20,000 and 25,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were removed from their families under the policy. This has particular significance when considering the development of new approaches to protect the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. There is significant evidence regarding contemporary child removals of our children, which point to the intergenerational impact of these past removal policies. I will explore this issue at the end of this chapter. Reforms The BTH report made 54 recommendations, which included reparations, education, compensation, support and healing for victims, as well as reforms for child protection authorities when dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The recommendations made in the BTH report also called for attention to be given to existing placement and care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with particular reference to the principle of self-determination. A number of reforms were made to the various child protection systems across Australia, reflecting some of the recommendations of the BTH report. These included: the provision of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle through national standards legislation the involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in child welfare decision making processes the need for a national framework to strengthen responses to Indigenous child welfare the importance of incorporating principles of self-determination within existing and new child protection frameworks. There has been varying levels of success in terms of implementing the recommendations and some recommendations have not been implemented. Aboriginal and Islander Care Agencies The BTH report emphasised the need for greater focus on the cultural needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and organisations in decisions concerning the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child welfare agencies were established in Australia in the 1970s. Known collectively as Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agencies (AICCAs), they were set up to address the impact of Indigenous child
Whilst the BTH report recognised that the full scale of removals may never be known, it confidently proposed that between ‘one in three and one in ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families from approximately 1910 through to1970’. Historians have estimated that this number would mean between 20,000 and 25,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were removed from their families under the policy. This has particular significance when considering the development of new approaches to protect the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. There is significant evidence regarding contemporary child removals of our children, which point to the intergenerational impact of these past removal policies. I will explore this issue at the end of this chapter. Reforms The BTH report made 54 recommendations, which included reparations, education, compensation, support and healing for victims, as well as reforms for child protection authorities when dealing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The recommendations made in the BTH report also called for attention to be given to existing placement and care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with particular reference to the principle of self-determination. A number of reforms were made to the various child protection systems across Australia, reflecting some of the recommendations of the BTH report. These included: the provision of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle through national standards legislation the involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in child welfare decision making processes the need for a national framework to strengthen responses to Indigenous child welfare the importance of incorporating principles of self-determination within existing and new child protection frameworks. There has been varying levels of success in terms of implementing the recommendations and some recommendations have not been implemented. Aboriginal and Islander Care Agencies The BTH report emphasised the need for greater focus on the cultural needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and organisations in decisions concerning the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child welfare agencies were established in Australia in the 1970s. Known collectively as Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agencies (AICCAs), they were set up to address the impact of Indigenous child