Jess Adamson: In the fight to save our kids, there’s some amazing people to give us hope

In the midst of our shocking child protection crisis, Jessica Adamson has found examples of hope – like these brothers who have become full-time carers for their sister’s children.

I met two remarkable young men the other Friday while hosting an event in the city.

Robert and Corey Briggs are aged 19 and 23.

They grew up in the northern suburbs – and while their friends are out working, playing footy and soccer and partying – they are not.

They are the full-time carers of their sister’s three children because she’s unable to look after them.

The children – two boys and a girl, are aged 4, 7 and 9. The youngest, a little boy, has cerebral palsy.

I know what I was doing at both 19 and 23 and it wasn’t anything terribly responsible.

Robert and Corey have committed to raising their niece and nephews until they’re 18, giving up any hope of a career, for now anyway.

Carers Robert and Corey Briggs.

They cook for them, clean, wash, drive the older two to school and back and take the four-year-old to countless physio and other specialist appointments as well as kindy.

The children adore them and are thriving in their care.

Remarkably, they don’t consider that what they’re doing is admirable, because that’s how they were raised by their sister Bernadette. It’s what families do, they say.

The pair accepted an award at the second annual South Australian Child Protection Awards and seemed genuinely surprised at the attention.

Like you, I’ve been sickened by the recent stories of SA children who’ve been hurt and abused by those trusted to love and protect them.

There is a string of reviews underway, sparked by the deaths of six-year-old Charlie Nowland and seven-year-old Makai Wanganeen, and there’s no doubt we need to make some changes.

We’ve done reviews countless times before and children are still getting hurt.

When one in three SA children are notified to the child protection system, there’s something seriously wrong.

It is a staggering and heartbreaking statistic.

Strong in Culture, Strong in Voice choir.

But what I saw at the awards were so many stories of hope.

There are people doing wonderful things for our most vulnerable children and their good work is often overshadowed by the bad news.

Like the Strong in Culture, Strong in Voice choir who brought many to tears with a song that represents the hopes and dreams of young people living out of home.

The choir is made up of 10 young people living in the Child Protection Department’s residential care. They’ve experienced complex trauma and, as a group, they’ve shared their feelings about how they feel in care and what it’s like to be away from family.

It’s helped them feel confident and empowered. They’re giving a voice to those who can’t be heard and remind us how important it is that we listen.

Port MacDonnell woman Lyn Kennedy, 74, was recognised for more than 30 years of volunteering, helping to care for foster children.

She drives them to see their biological parents, back to their foster carers, to court, to school camps, to the dentist and the doctor.

She’s comforted hundreds of children who are often sad, scared and anxious, driving tens of thousands of kilometres to take them wherever they need to go.

Her reward? A smile from one of those children – and the ultimate goal, seeing them reunited with parents.

Carer Lyn Kennedy (left) with Child Protection Minister Katrine Hillyard.

And the Covid-19 Morphett Vale Residential Care Unit, a group of staff who don full PPE to entertain children in care if they test positive to the dreaded virus.

They organise movie nights, cooking and craft sessions and basketball games – despite the challenges of their heavy-duty outfits. Somehow they make isolation fun.

Our child-protection system is overloaded and overwhelmed and we know children are slipping through the cracks.

But what struck me about the awards was the difference just one person can make. All of us have a responsibility to look after SA’s children.

We can no longer turn a blind eye to the child that doesn’t go to school, the suspicious behaviour, the bruises and cries for help.

You might think it’s not your business, but this is everybody’s business.

What makes children feel safe and happy is relationships. Not just within their family – but with aunties, uncles, neighbours, school parents and sporting friends. It takes a village.

We can no longer expect the police to pick up the pieces after the damage is done. We need to shift the power to the community to try and prevent it from happening in the first place.

The UK city of Leeds has done just that, empowering its people to support children and young people, alongside the existing services.

They moved from a culture of blame to a culture of community care and the results have been astounding.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hillyard is determined to make change, and while she acknowledges the issues are deeply complex, she believes the Leeds model could be used here.

“No one person or agency can fix everything,’’ she says.

“Child protection is everyone’s responsibility but we haven’t empowered or given our community the confidence in what their role is.

“We need to give people the permission to be involved and reach out, to move from reporting to supporting.”

And if we as a community take up that challenge, we must have a department that listens and acts.

Child abuse and neglect is preventable.

We’re never going to completely eradicate it – but we have to try with a whole of government, sector and community approach.

One in six Australian children is living in poverty, with increasing mental-health, substance-abuse and domestic-violence incidents.

We need to ensure that the needs of families are met in education, health and housing before things escalate, not after.

Every single person in SA’s Child Protection Department wants a better future for our kids.

It’s time we all gave them a hand.