The number of Indigenous children in out-of-home care (OOHC) in South Australia has increased by more than 33 per cent in the last five years, a report from the state's Guardian for children and young people has revealed.
It comes as data last month from the Productivity Commission revealed First Nations children in South Australia were removed at the second highest levels in the country, behind only Victoria.
The latest Report on Government Services (ROGS), by Guardian Shona Reid, showed 1,824 Indigenous children and young people were living in care as of June 30 last year – 37.1 per cent of the care population, and 1 in 11 Indigenous children and young people in SA.
Between 2019 and 2024, there was an increase of 927 children and young people in care, with almost 50 per cent of that growth attributable to the increasing number of Indigenous children and young people in OOHC.
"These are alarming figures," Ms Reid notes in the report.
"They tell a story in stark opposition to the national policy direction of all governments, to work towards Closing the Gap Target 12 – which requires a reduction of 45 per cent in the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in OOHC, by 2031".
Furthermore, there was almost a 15 per cent increase in Indigenous children being housed in 'other supported placements' - primarily consisting of third-party order care arrangements.
The number has risen almost 200 per cent since 2019, with Ms Reid arguing there appeared to be a "targeted approach" to applying for such orders by the Department of Child Protection.
In NSW, the outcry over alternative care arrangements saw the Labor government ban the practice last year after NSW Advocate for Children and Young People, Zoë Robinson, found many at-risk children had been placed in profit-driven care arrangements for up to 600 days.
Last year, the SA government introduced legislation into Parliament aimed at "reintroducing a principle of best interests and strengthening provisions to promote reunification with families".
At the time, Ms Reid said the consultation process from the government had been "lukewarm, at best, and, at times, downright chilly," and in the ROGS said whilst there were positives with the bill, it didn't go far enough in protecting the rights and best interests of the child.
Whilst there was an increase in the number of children in "kinship" care, the report argued this was more down to definition than the actuality of Aboriginal children being placed with family, with the SA government counting non-Aboriginal carers - including neighbours, teachers, family, and friends as "kin," even if they are not part of the child's cultural kinship network in its reporting data.
"These results indicate that current policies and resources are favouring supporting non-Aboriginal carers rather than Aboriginal family-based placements," Ms Reid said.
"A major shift is needed to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children grow up in Aboriginal families and communities, as intended by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (Principle)."
The Principle ensures protection for Indigenous children in care. This includes placing them with other family or kin and close to Country.
Across the country, Indigenous organisations have expressed concern over the supposed degradation of the Principle, with the NT introducing changes to give Judges the ability to override it.
In a statement, Ms Reid said she looked forward to a time when "we shift away from reactive intervention and meaningfully move towards greater focus on preventative supports and in investing in growing children well when they do enter care".
"The government must act now to ensure that children and young people grow up where it is best for them to do so, where they are loved, cherished and become all they can be," she said.
