Loading...
You can't pour from an empty cup : Strengthening our service and systems responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who experience domestic and family violence
Morgan, Garth Butler, Candice French, Reno Creamer, Tamara Hillian, Lisa Ruggiero, Eva Parsons, Jennifer Prior, Gareth Idagi, Lela Bruce, Rachel
Morgan, Garth
Butler, Candice
French, Reno
Creamer, Tamara
Hillian, Lisa
Ruggiero, Eva
Parsons, Jennifer
Prior, Gareth
Idagi, Lela
Bruce, Rachel
Citations
Altmetric:
Author
Morgan, Garth
Butler, Candice
French, Reno
Creamer, Tamara
Hillian, Lisa
Ruggiero, Eva
Parsons, Jennifer
Prior, Gareth
Idagi, Lela
Bruce, Rachel
Twist, Aletia
Gray, Tracy
Hostalek, Mary
Gibson, Jamie
Mitchell, Beverley
Lea, Traven
Miller, Carol
Lemson, Fred
Bogdanek, Sonya
Barber, Ursula
Higgins, Daryl
Cahill, Alex
Butler, Candice
French, Reno
Creamer, Tamara
Hillian, Lisa
Ruggiero, Eva
Parsons, Jennifer
Prior, Gareth
Idagi, Lela
Bruce, Rachel
Twist, Aletia
Gray, Tracy
Hostalek, Mary
Gibson, Jamie
Mitchell, Beverley
Lea, Traven
Miller, Carol
Lemson, Fred
Bogdanek, Sonya
Barber, Ursula
Higgins, Daryl
Cahill, Alex
Abstract
First Nations children experience high rates of domestic and family violence and are overrepresented in child protection systems in Australia. The long history of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that commenced with colonisation, the effects of which are still being felt today, significantly contributes to these outcomes. Policies intended to respond to these harms, improve wellbeing, and enhance safety, instead continue to cause harm, rarely providing culturally safe, well-resourced and trauma informed solutions.
This is the second of two reports from the project, Service system responses and culturally designed practice frameworks to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children exposed to domestic and family violence. The project used culturally safe, participatory action research methods with First Nations community members in eight regional and remote locations across Queensland to generate new knowledge about what works for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who have both experienced domestic and family violence and had contact with the child protection system. The first report from this project, New ways for our families explored existing literature and presented the findings from the first action research cycles. The final report, You can’t pour from an empty cup presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations from the final rounds of action research.
Significantly, the researchers found that experiencing domestic and family violence negatively impacted childhoods, behaviours and the ability to form healthy relationships as adults. Harms were carried forward into adulthood as these children and young people became parents and moved through systems. As a result many experienced child protection responses that used oppressive and controlling techniques and this increased distress. Research participants identified that there was a lack of focus on providing healing and support services for children and young people who experienced DFV and that service providers were often ill equipped to respond effectively to trauma.
This research provides an understanding of how services and systems including health and education can better hear from and respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who experience domestic and family violence. While conducting the research, and as a result of the initial findings which revealed the depth of cultural knowledge and community led solutions, the research team made the decision to also develop a culturally strong practice framework to guide policymakers and practitioners. The framework, Healing our children and young people: A framework to address the impacts of domestic and family violence is available on the ANROWS website.
Keywords
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, government, social services, domestic violence, family violence, children and young people
Date
2023
Type
Report
Journal
Book
Volume
Issue
Page Range
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute of Child Protection Studies
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Collections
Relation URI
DOI
Event URL
Open Access Status
Open access
License
CC BY-NC 3.0
File Access
Open
Notes
This material was produced with funding from the Australian Government and the Australian state and territory governments.
© ANROWS 2023. With the exception of the ANROWS branding, content provided by third parties, and any material protected by a trademark, all material presented in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC 3.0 AU) licence. The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/legalcode Diamond open access.
© ANROWS 2023. With the exception of the ANROWS branding, content provided by third parties, and any material protected by a trademark, all material presented in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC 3.0 AU) licence. The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/legalcode Diamond open access.