When blood and tears start to pour over our system. It is clear the policies aren’t working for the common people. It’s crying out for change.  Child protection “risk assessment” guidelines is seeing increasing number of children in  the Child Protection system.

Their voices are lost to us, but we must do whatever we can to somehow hear them, because doing so will save lives.  They are the 35 children and young people who committed suicide within a year of their last involvement with Victoria’s child protection system. Their stories, and the story of the system that failed them, are captured in Lost, not forgotten, a report the Commission for Children and Young People this week tabled in the Parliament of Victoria.

Sadly, the number is increasing and more lives are being lost. Especially during Covid lockdown doubling the rate.

Family separation and child protection intervention started during the stolen generation time.  Now it is sipping into more vulnerable families and children's lives. Under  the banner of "best interest".

Yes!

Premandated family separation and legal kidnapping of children  began with our First Nation People.  It was lawfully  justified with dignity just as it is today. The Grand  Apology on 13 February 2008 to our indigenous brothers and sisters finally came through apologising  for the intergenerational trauma induced by the system. 

However  The Apology till date is meaningless; as it is  well protected under  parliament privilege, the children are still being kidnapped under the CPP legal banner. Till date families are being ripped apart,  struggling to live a normal life even after passing  the 2 years mandated family reunification process. 

What is being said is. if it can happen to our First Nation  people,  even after an apology. It is no surprise to see more vulnerable families now being grinded in the system.

  Fact remains, that the system only changed its product from First Nation, to now judging  parents with physical and cognitive disabilities.  Labeling them for their inabilities, insecurities, and  or addictions etc. 

Narccistically  ignoring that they are further damaging, brutalising and traumatizing families by ripping families apart.   

Studies shows that many children in the system  are  triggered by parental homelessness, previous involvement with child protection services (as a child or adult), mental ill-health, young parenthood, cognitive impairment, substance use or family violence.

Yet we victimize them further. 

Prenatal child protection notifications are made to ensure families get support. It is used to identify risk factors. Many “risk factors” are directly related to socio-economic deprivation, inadequate access to the social aspects of health, and systemic discrimination. Not necessarily negligence or abuse which is highlighted in dark colours when presented to the court. Ensuring a two years vicious cycle of family separation.
Being under resourced with new staffs coming and leaving. CPP fail to provide immediate support and case management. Traumatising family further with fear. Then follows the same repeated vicious cycle of common directives. Putting parents and children to further test. No supports come in till further hearing. This time lost is deliberate so CPP is able to build the case against the family further. Notwithstanding, the confusion and additional trauma induced to the already suffering family during the waiting period.
In reality the system is mostly feared and seen as punitive, removing children if parents fail to comply with directives. Or the delay caused by CPP to connect the families to supports and programs. It is also noted by research, that, increasing fear of losing a baby is likely to discourage women from disclosing domestic violence to welfare workers, putting lives at greater risk. Responses to threats (for example, fight, flight or freeze) can also negatively affect maternal and fetal health and behaviour.
The lack of knowledge and understanding of psycho social disabilities, lack of culturally safe family support. These systemic failures lead to immeasurable pain for First Nations families and parents suffering with disabilities. They can also exacerbate intergenerational trauma.
Outcomes for children admitted to out-of-home care in Australia are poor. A study of young people leaving this mode of care reported nearly 50% attempted suicide within four years. Many young children have taken their life. Least not forget Shane Andrew Keith Chilcott died in 2016, age 13 while under CPP residential care. His last words where he wanted to go to his mother blaming the system for the delay in reunification and broken promises.
When blood and tears start to pour over our system. It is clear the policies aren’t working for the common people. It’s crying out for change.
Children removed from their parents often also experience:
1. life long interactions with child protection and justice systems
2. entrenched disadvantage and institutionalisation
3. disconnection from culture, community and family.
The massive costs of out-of-home care could be better invested in deterring family disruption.
Solution
Rights Reforms Indigenous Corporation, run by Founder and CEO Marleen Charan Singh, envisage and encourages a holistic approach to bring balance to administrative CPP system.
Ms Singh, is a law graduate, and supports marginalised vulnerable families and people in need for better health and justice supports. She runs individualised case management, to cater for specific rising issues. Such as mental health and detention. She is one of the support organisers for black life matters, and fosters the Stop to the New Lost Generation protest etc. She is a staunch support person for stopping family separation from unnecessary government interference.
Stop the New Lost Generation. ( SNLG ) fosters connectedness between CPP concerns with realistic holistic 1:1 support without inducing family separation more than necessary. Giving parents and parenthood deserving optimism and hope, offering an opportunity to transform vicious cycles of intergenerational trauma into supplementing cycles of nurturing, love and healing.
This is by nurturing parental development fostering “connectedness”, which is fundamental to the social and emotional wellbeing of First Nations people and parents living with disabilities.
Complex social and emotional health issues are classified as “risk factors” and parents are referred to child protection services for “support”, despite mental health and other expertise being available.
SNLG program are interwoven with Health care services that develop expertise and resource capacity to address social and emotional complexity - including cultural expertise and ways of talking about sensitive issues. This might be include yarning, storytelling and deep listening, or dadirri.
SNLG provided in partnership with health care services. The project engage decisions to be transparent, with professional review, research and evaluation to foster expertise, providing 1:1 case management support.
SNLG adopts the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle. This provides an organising framework to coordinate efforts, ensuring a comprehensive response with First Nations children and families at the centre.
4. SNLG is community-driven co-design of an appropriate model, ensuring all families requiring support can access alternative options to removal (such as full-time childcare support or supported independent living and supported family accommodation)
These connections are essential elements for these marginalised families. The welfare of parents must also be considered. Too often parents are left alone, without support, following the removal of their baby.

Let’s together break this vicious cycle.
Sign to support the Stop the New Lost Generation project.
Please come support our protest every 28th of the month.  Standing for 45000 children out of home care. 

In front of Flag staff station. 10am. Moving down to front of the Children Court Melbourne, little Lonsdale Street 10am. Than back to station 4pm. Join us at any point convenient. Contact us via face book for updated  details.

Or call our Minister to step in and support this change.  Stop 2 years mandatory family reunification process.  To come sit with the family who are part of this protest. To listen deeply to these families grief .  They have the solution. 

Meetings held every end of the month Saturday. Starting 18 th December 2021.
Food and drinks provided including $20 for transportation. Contact us on Facebook
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RightsReformInc/
When blood and tears start to pour over our system. It is clear the policies aren’t working for the common people. It’s crying out for change. Please sign and save the children.
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