Disclaimer

1. The Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER):Has it been successful in protecting Indigenous children through support for families?Debbie Scott and Daryl Higgins

2. Disclaimer The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is committed to the creation and dissemination of research-based information on family functioning and wellbeing. Views expressed here are those of individual authors and may not reflect those of the Australian Institute of Family Studies or the Australian Government.

3. Background • Release of ‘Little Children Are Sacred Report (2007) • initial emphasis on sexual abuse • focus changed to issues of neglect • Context important • decades of disadvantage • structural difficulties in funding • cost differential in remote areas

4. Overview of NTER • Announced 21 July 2007 • Aim • protect children • make communities safe • build better future for people living in the 73 prescribed Indigenous communities & town camps • covers population of 42,229 of which approx. 16,000 are children (in 2006) • Part II of Racial Discrimination Act (1975) suspended (reinstated June 2010)

5. Context of Review • NTER Review Board reported 2008 • Desktop review commissioned by FaHCSIA in 2011 • based on existing surveys and data • Northern Territory Emergency Response Evaluation Report 2011http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/indigenous/pubs/nter_reports/Documents/nter_evaluation_report_2011.PDF

6. Aim of presentation • To describe the findings from our review of NTER data as they relate to: • key risk factors for child maltreatment • measures to protect and improve outcomes for Indigenous children in the prescribed NTER communities • the context of the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children

7. Ecological model for risk factors associated with maltreatment

8. Limitations • Documents available • Limited data • baseline measurements • denominator • child protection data • Not all impact is measureable • perception of safety • unintended effects

9. Welfare Reform and EmploymentColmar Brunton • Some positive effects • stronger, safer, sustainable communities with less humbugging, money better spent – healthier children • licensed stores better quantity with wider range • improved sense of well being due to increased employment opportunity • more than 2000 ongoing jobs created • Blanket implementation = loss of freedom and empowerment • Requires sustainable development

10. Improving child and family healthAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare • Implemented child health checks, expanded service delivery, coordinated drug and alcohol responses and a sexual assault mobile outreach team • 65% received a health check and follow-up • decline in rates of anaemia, wasting and stunting • Still issues of hearing impairment and follow-up

11. Enhancing educationAustralian Council for Educational Research • Improvement in Yr. 3 literacy and numeracy • Increased resourcing • infrastructure – housing, classrooms • pre-school programs • teacher professional support • student wellbeing – nutrition • No observable improvement in attendance 2006-2010

12. Promoting law and order Australian Institute of Criminology • Increased policing resources • Recorded crime has increased • more resources – more crime reported and detected • Survey results suggest that people feel safer • suggestion that alcohol bans have only moved the problem

13. Housing and land reformKPMG • 5 yr leases enabled repairs and upgrading to community housing • Few applications for long-term leases • Permit system may have reduced some red tape but also opened access to ‘undesirable’ persons • Only qualitative data to say this has resulted in improvements

14. Coordination and EngagementAllen Consulting Group • Challenge: to tailor services • Need for coordination and control – but increase community engagement and decision making • Some anecdotal signs of improvement • Strong community support for Indigenous Engagement Officers • Level of uncertainty around ongoing funding

15. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Child Protection • no national incidence or prevalence • system has finite capacity • statistics measure activity – also include those at risk, maybe not abused • better to intervene and support prior to needing tertiary intervention • need to deal with underlying issues first Scott & Higgins (2011)

16. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Community, family, child safety • ongoing issues but community survey suggests people feel safer • Family Violence • Aboriginal women over-represented in statistics • 34% report family violence as a concern (25% rest of Australia) Scott & Higgins (2011)

17. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Safe places to escape violence • Safe Houses • Men’s Places • not just for ‘escaping’ but also for program delivery – parenting program, anger management, etc. • Night Patrols • not police but community members • minimise harm – non-coercive, culturally appropriate Scott & Higgins (2011)

18. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Alcohol and substance abuse • Included blanket ban on alcohol • Youth alcohol diversion programs • Community survey: • almost 50% said alcohol is a problem for their family • restrictions had little effect • Drinkers travelling outside the community to access alcohol raises issues for child safety (supervision) Scott & Higgins (2011)

19. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Remote Aboriginal and Family Community Workers • not perceived as “child protection” workers • support for families to access services • liaise with child protection to support families • lack of definitive data but anecdotally helpful – families trust them; child protection workers acknowledge their importance • need resourcing (professional and funding) to be sustainable Scott & Higgins (2011)

20. Key messages from NTER review, cont. • Child protection data: • pre-NTER, rates of notifications and substantiations for Indigenous children significantly lower than other states • substantiations doubled between 2006-07 and 2009-10 • ¾ of this increase related to child neglect concerns • this increase brought NT in line with other states/territories Scott & Higgins (2011)

21. Substantiation rates for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in the Northern Territory and Australia Source: Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision

22. Data context • No reliable child maltreatment prevalence data anywhere in Australia • More Indigenous children live in NSW (71,194) than the NT (27,458) (March 2011) • The number of Indigenous children with substantiated child protection concerns in 2010-11: • NSW: 3,303 • NT: 1,186

23. Supporting FamiliesAIFS • Additional Child-at-risk workers • 70% increase in FTE workers • issues of use of statutory data • Mobile Child Protection Teams • provide support and services to remote areas • have helped to clear backlog

24. Contextual issues • Community perceptions of NTER showed that people felt the following aspects of the NTER made the biggest difference: • policing • night patrols • Safe Houses/Men’s Places

25. Summary • Legitimate concerns for child safety • data can’t tell us how big the problem is • system overwhelmed – remoteness, disadvantaged, lack of services • poor consultation/engagement & concerns about implementation • highlighted unacceptably high levels of disadvantage & social dislocation • Need to work together to make changes NTER Review Board (2008)

26. Conclusion “Outcomes for health, education, employment, housing and safety showed some improvement but were still well below those for non-Indigenous people.” (Roediger, 2011, p. 8)