Yoorrook Justice Commission slams broken child protection system as it grills Victorian minister

Victoria’s powerful truth-telling inquiry has slammed the state’s child protection system for its “shameful” treatment of Indigenous children.

Child Protection Minister Lizzie Blandthorn at the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

Victoria’s powerful truth-telling inquiry has slammed the state’s “broken” child protection system as it grilled the responsible minister over failures that let down vulnerable children.

Child Protection Minister Lizzie Blandthorn on Friday apologised for the “shameful” way Indigenous children were over represented and separated from their families in the system and backed calls for urgent action.

Speaking at the Yoorrook Justice Commission, Ms Blandthorn said she was sorry for historic and ongoing problems with child protection and their effect on Aboriginal Victorians.

“I have heard the evidence that this commission has received, as a minister and as a mother I find that it is truly heartbreaking,” she said.

“I take this opportunity as minister to apologise formally and unreservedly for the harm caused by the historic removal of First People’s children from their families, their communities and their country.”

“On behalf of the state of Victoria, I say sorry.”

Child Protection Minister Lizzie Blandthorn at the Yoorrook Justice Commission

After her opening remarks, Ms Blandthorn was grilled on whether she accepted the current system was operating “shamefully”.

“There certainly are aspects of the system that are unjust and certainly for where there is injustice, I apologise,” she said.

“I’m deeply concerned … to the extent that any child’s human right would in any way be limited or infringed by the system.

“That is a fundamental failing and needs to be urgently addressed.”

Throughout the past two weeks of hearings, Yoorrook has heard that the government intends to give Aboriginal community Controlled Organisations more control over the child protection system for Indigenous kids.

Ms Blandthorn said this included a Bill currently before the parliament that would trial this approach, with further work underway including a review of how children are currently reunified with their families.

It is hoped these changes will help move towards greater self-determination for Aboriginal Victorians.

But Commissioner Travis Lovett questioned the government’s approach, saying it was not enough to hand over a system that didn’t work.

“It’s not self determination where they’ve designed the system,” he said.

“They’re implementing a system that’s been broken, that you’ve already apologised for here today.”

Victoria’s child protection system has come under fire over the past 12 months amid concerns over staff shortages and independent reports into systemic failures.

Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Meena Singh, at the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

Last month, the Commissioner for Children and Young People wrote to the state government and Victoria Police calling for faster action to prevent sexual exploitation in residential care.

Deputy chair Sue-Anne Hunter, who has worked as a qualified social worker, said the state’s child protection guidance was flawed and hard to understand.

She said workers needed to be armed with proper resources and that kids in residential care were at significant risk.

“Once a child is in residential care, it is terrible,” Ms Hunter said.

“In my time in those working in those systems, I’ve seen some pretty horrible outcomes for our children.

“It is just not good enough. We need to somehow figure this out.

“It’s all complex, but we’re the adults in so we need to figure this out for those kids.”

Ms Hunter said an “apology without action” would not be acceptable.

“We know the system doesn’t work for our people. So we need urgent action,” she said.

Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Meena Singh, said often kids in care were being hurt once they were removed from their families.

“We’re still seeing experiences of children of harm being assessed in isolated ways, in isolated incidents as one-offs as if they don’t cumulatively together represent a burden of harm,” she said.