Guardian Penny Wright calls for action after figures show more than one in every 11 Aboriginal child is in state care

Sobering figures have laid bare the soaring rate of Aboriginal children in state care – and fewer are being placed with Indigenous relatives.

MORE than one in every 11 Aboriginal children in South Australia is living in state care, new analysis shows.

And fewer are being placed with Aboriginal relatives.

The analysis is based on federal Productivity Commission data and released by the Guardian for children in state care Penny Wright.

As of June 30 last year, there were 4136 children in care, including 1519 Aboriginal young people.

Ms Wright said that rate was “so high that this group now makes up 36.7 per cent of all children in care, despite making up approximately 5 per cent of the total (child) population”.

Her report, released on Thursday, shows that 53 per cent of Aboriginal children removed from their parents by authorities are placed with kin, or extended family – but only 31 per cent are placed with an Aboriginal family member.

The national average is 32 per cent.

Authorities are meant to adhere to guidelines which require Aboriginal children to be placed with a member of their family first, followed by a close contact in their community or a person of Aboriginal cultural background. If this cannot be done, the placement should be geographically close to the child’s family.

Ms Wright’s report notes that the Child Protection Department is legally required to keep track of whether the cultural needs of Aboriginal children in its care are being met, such as by providing transport to cultural events or funerals, and whether they have access to a case worker or relative from their community.

However, the department’s latest annual report concedes it is not fully reporting on these obligations.

Over the past five years the rate of Aboriginal children in state care has risen from 62.1 per 1000 to 84.5.

Ms Wright’s report shows that rate would have to fall to 46.4 per 1000 to meet a Closing the Gap Target by 2031, but if authorities continue to remove Aboriginal children from their parents at current rates “we will sadly fail”.

Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson said the over-representation of Aboriginal children in care was “a nationwide issue” but the State Government was “committed to delivering better outcomes”.

The State Government has set up an Aboriginal Family Scoping Unit to identify kin carer options for Aboriginal children who come into care.

It has also committed:

$200,000 to create a peak body to represent the interests of Aboriginal children and families;

$9.5m to a Resilient Families program which will begin on July 1;

$500,000 for an Aboriginal-led organisation to develop a service for young people who have experienced family violence and;

$2.2m to a program for families in Adelaide’s west, run by Aboriginal service KWY.

“We need more Aboriginal specialist services to do this work,” said KWY chief executive Craig Rigney, “and to have the voice of Aboriginal children at the forefront.”

Opposition spokeswoman Katrine Hildyard said the rise in Aboriginal children in care “must be urgently addressed”, including by engaging with families and young mothers.