Defining the Cultural Context of Aboriginal Children’s Development, Health & Wellbeing

1. Defining the Cultural Context of Aboriginal Children’s Development, Health & Wellbeing ISCI Conference 28th June 2007 Chicago Rani Param Centre for Developmental Health Curtin University of Technology Telethon Institute for Child Health Research Perth, Australia

2. Today... • Australia’s Indigenous population • This research • Challenges of population-level indicators for Indigenous children

3. Australia’s Indigenous Peoples • Aboriginal Australians • Mainland Australia and Tasmania • 60,000+ year oral history • Oldest living culture in the world • Torres Strait Islander Australians • Island clusters between tip of Qld (Cape York) & PNG • Distinct from Aboriginal Australians • Indigenous status is largely self and community-identified

4. About Indigenous Australians • ~ 456,000 Indigenous Australians, 2.3% of Australian population • Majority Indigenous Australians live on east coast – NSW & Qld (29% & 28% respectively) • Median age Indigenous: 20.5yrs • Median age Australians: 37yrs • Indigenous birth rate: 2.15 • Australian birth rate: 1.75 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007)

5. Australia’s Indigenous Peoples • Dispossessed of land and country • Children forcibly removed under the guise of ‘protection’ • Church-run missionaries forbade cultural practices, traditional language, traditional beliefs, teachings • Effects of colonisation continue to manifest today in social and emotional wellbeing difficulties

6. Why Indigenous Focus?

7. Indigenous Health & Wellbeing • 17 year life expectancy gap nationally • Infant mortality rate ~ 3 times higher • High rates of otitis media in children • Higher reported rates of risk-taking behaviour • Social and emotional wellbeing issues • Entrenched socio-economic disadvantage in many Indigenous families (Thomson et al 2007)

8. This Research...

9. Aboriginal Perspectives of Child Development • Qualitative research • Focus groups with Aboriginal parents / carers • Individual interviews with Aboriginal child health / education professionals • Two locations in WA – rural and urban • Small study – 34 participants • Thematic analysis • Review of the literature • Indigenous context for ECD • ‘readiness’ for school • Parent / carer perspectives of children’s early learning

10. Results – Indigenous Identity • Sense of Aboriginal identity is critical • “Knowing who he is and where he comes from is what keeps him strong.”(Aboriginal carer, urban) • Strong sense of Aboriginal identity perceived by parents as a key determinant of ‘readiness’ for school • Important learning outcome of early childhood • Knowing your mob • Learning about kin arrangements • Learning who you’re related to and how

11. Results – Connection to ‘Country’ • Knowing your traditional lands: • its significance to family/community • traditional tie to country • spending time with family on traditional lands • Important spiritual implications “Many of our old people say the reason we’re getting sick is cause we’ve lost our land. I think it’s important for our children to have a future they must connect to their traditional roots, know their country, connect with their country.” (Aboriginal carer, urban)

12. Results – Family Life • Indigenous children grow up in larger, younger families • Caregiving role is shared among extended family – aunties, uncles etc • ‘mum’ – early years & childhood; ‘dad’ – transition to adolescence

13. Results - Stress & Grief “Our kids deal with a lot when they’re young, they have to grow up faster than other kids.” (Child Health Worker, rural)“By the time our kids get to school they’ve probably seen many of their family die, get sick or be put in jail. All this is bound to affect them.” (Aboriginal Health Worker, urban) “We don’t identify her as Aboriginal at school – it’s safer that way, she won’t get picked on by other kids.” (Carer, rural)

14. Stress & Indigenous ECD • ~ 26% Indigenous children aged 4 – 11yrs at high risk of developing clinically significant SEWB problems • 42% children at high risk of SEWB problems living in households experienced 7+ stressful life events • Boys twice at risk as girls • Children of ‘stolen generation’ parents/carers 2.3 times more likely to be at high risk of clinically significant SEWB problems • Children living in remote areas at lower risk (Zubrick et al 2005)

15. Conclusions • Indicators of child development not necessarily universal within countries • ‘Culture’ is more significant, more tangible, more meaningful influence on Indigenous child development • Self-determination, Indigenous ownership/ control and the rights agenda are still relevant • Important role for Indigenous parents/ families in developing ECD programs

16. Limitations • Reasonably small sample • Male carers not represented • Other jurisdictional issues, states (provinces) etc? • Need more urban perspective

17. The Challenges... The Challenges

19. Developing Indicators... • Measurement challenges with these issues • Issues with reporting ‘culture’ • Locally-based measures more appropriate, but at expense of national focus...?

20. Acknowledgements Prof Sven Silburn Assoc Prof David Lawrence Sally Brinkman Dr Cheryl Kickett-Tucker National Health & Medical Research Council Contact me: rparam@meddent.uwa.edu.au