The new chief executive of South Australia's peak body for Indigenous children says the Aboriginal community-controlled sector needs to be empowered to undertake the important work in early intervention and prevention.
Speaking exclusively to National Indigenous Times, Ashum Owen, the inaugural chief executive of Wakwakurna Kanyini, said one of the challenges was to address the state's appalling out-of-home care (OOHC) rate.
The latest Closing the Gap data revealed Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander children are removed from their homes at a rate of 94.1 children per 1,000—the second highest in the country.
Ms Owen said many Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) were working in the early intervention and prevention space, without being adequately funded or supported for the work they do.
"We need to be recognising [early intervention and prevention] and also adequately resourcing and funding those programs and organisations to do that," the Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman said.
"I think what is really important is that the Aboriginal community-controlled sector is responsible and legally empowered to undertake certain functions like 'scoping'."
Ms Owen, who previously practised as a solicitor in the NT, said the impacts this could have on Indigenous children in OOHC could be "huge," arguing it not only can prevent Aboriginal children going into to OOHC, but also "prevent this high number of Aboriginal children in non-Aboriginal care placements".
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Launched last month and meaning "holding on to our children" in a combination of Kaurna and Pitjantjatjara words, Wakwakurna Kanyini is the new community-controlled peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in South Australia.
It will operate with cultural authority to help improve outcomes for Aboriginal children by prioritising their rights and needs.
Ms Owen said it was up to the peak body to be an accountability mechanism and holding the government to account, especially in relation to areas such as Closing the Gap.
She said this includes recognising areas where perhaps their "commitments and their policies are contradicting each other".
"We see that the South Australian Government really wants to reverse the rates of Aboriginal children in out of home care," Ms Owen said.
"But…there's a really poor investment in early intervention and prevention. South Australia…is spending probably the largest amount of money in the out-of-home-care area compared to early intervention.
"So, I think if you're not going to fund appropriately local level Aboriginal organisations and uphold their right to self-determination, then how do you expect to overturn the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children?"
She also noted whilst the responsibility of Wakwakurna Kanyini is primarily child protection, this takes in many intersecting aspects,
Data has shown a significant number of children in youth justice have previously been in OOHC, and Ms Owen highlighted the number of children on dual orders (child protection and youth offending) whereby they are still the responsibility of the state.
She said it was important to "look at the responsibility of government as the legal guardian for those children".
"Who is holding them accountable to the duty of care that they have to ensure that those children are safe and connected to their community and their culture when they are in those spaces?" Ms Owen asked.
Asked what she hopes to bring to the role, Ms Owen, who has a background in law, policy, and advocacy, said she hoped to bring a "fresh outlook" on how Aboriginal people need to be empowered to "make decisions for our children".
"I think my various backgrounds and experiences have demonstrated to me that our families are really disempowered when it comes to working within and against these systems," she said.
Arguing colonisation has led to an imbalance between Indigenous families and government agencies, Ms Owen noted: "We know that these systems are not designed for our families."
"What I really hope to do is decolonise these systems and empower our families to feel that they are equipped to overcome the challenges and barriers they're facing every day," she said.
