Indigenous child safety

Indigenous children are over represented in areas where child safety and security are compromised, argues this report. Summary National data show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in various aspects of child safety compared with their non-Indigenous counterparts. In particular, Indigenous children have higher rates of hospitalisations and deaths due to injury, and more frequently come into contact with child protection and youth justice systems. Indigenous children have higher hospitalisation and mortality rates for injury The rate of injury hospitalisations among Indigenous children aged 0-17 was 1.3 times that for non-Indigenous children between July 2010 and June 2012. The most common cause of these hospitalisations were accidental falls, followed by transport accidents and assault. The hospitalisation rate for assault for Indigenous children was more than 5 times the rate for non-Indigenous children. In 2007-2011, more than one-quarter (26%) of all deaths among Indigenous children aged 0-17 were due to external causes of injury. The death rate due to external causes of injury for Indigenous children was more than twice the rate for non-Indigenous children (80 deaths per 100,000 children compared with 34 per 100,000). They are more likely to be victims of child abuse, neglect and sexual assault During 2011-12, Indigenous children aged 0-17 were nearly 8 times as likely as non-Indigenous children to be the subject of substantiated child abuse or neglect (42 per 1,000 children compared with 5 per 1,000). In 2012, rates of sexual assault reported to police among Indigenous children aged 0-9 in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory were 2 to 4 times higher than rates among non-Indigenous children in these jurisdictions. They are over-represented among specialist homelessness services clients and in the youth justice system In 2012-13, almost 1 in 3 (31%) children aged 0-17 who received assistance from a specialist homelessness agency was Indigenous; by comparison, Indigenous children comprise 5.5% of the total Australian child population. On an average day in 2012-13, 39% of all males and 45% of all females aged 10-17 under youth justice supervision were Indigenous. Over-representation was highest in younger age groups; of all children aged 10-13 under supervision, 61% were Indigenous. Indigenous young people aged 10-17 were 17 times as likely to be under youth justice supervision as non-Indigenous young people. This over-representation was even higher for those in detention-Indigenous young people were 28 times as likely to be detained as non-Indigenous young people. However, their rate of youth justice supervision has fallen over time In 2012-13, Indigenous young people aged 10-17 were supervised at a rate of 225 per 10,000, down from 233 per 10,000 in 2008-09

Schooling Inequality among the Indigenous: A Problem of Resources or Language Barriers?

Using large household data sets from rural Mexican communities, where a majority of indigenous people live, we analyze the potential explanatory factors for low educational attainment of indigenous children. We find that, overall, indigenous children fare worse than their non-indigenous classmates. Nevertheless, there is important heterogeneity within the indigenous group. In particular, monolingual indigenous children (those who speak only an indigenous language) perform much worse in school than bilingual indigenous children who speak Spanish as a second language.

Longitudinal analysis of ear infection and hearing impairment: findings from 6-year prospective cohorts of Australian children

BACKGROUND Middle ear infection is common in childhood. Despite its prevalence, there is little longitudinal evidence about the impact of ear infection, particularly its association to hearing loss. By using 6-year prospective data, we investigate the onset and impact over time of ear infection in Australian children. METHODS We analyse 4 waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) survey collected in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010. There are two age cohorts in this study (B cohort aged 0/1 to 6/7 years N=4242 and K cohort aged 4/5 to 10/11 years N=4169). Exposure was parent-reported ear infection and outcome was parent-reported hearing problems. We modelled ear infection onset and subsequent impact on hearing using multivariate logistic regressions, reporting Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) and Confidence Intervals (95% CI). Separate analyses were reported for indigenous and non-indigenous children. RESULTS Associations of ear infections between waves were found to be very strong both among both indigenous and non-indigenous children in the two cohorts. Reported ear infections at earlier wave were also associated with hearing problems in subsequent wave. For example, reported ear infections at age 4/5 years among the K cohort were found to be predictors of hearing problems at age 8/9 years (AOR 4.0, 95% CI 2.2-7.3 among non-indigenous children and AOR 7.7 95% CI 1.0-59.4 among indigenous children). Number of repeated ear infections during the 6-year follow-up revealed strong dose-response relationships with subsequent hearing problems among non-indigenous children (AORs ranged from 4.4 to 31.7 in the B cohort and 4.4 to 51.0 in the K cohort) but not statistically significant among indigenous children partly due to small sample. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed the longitudinal impact of ear infections on hearing problems in both indigenous and non-indigenous children. These findings highlight the need for special attention and follow-up on children with repeated ear infections.This study is supported by an unconditional grant from the GlaxoSmithKline. We used confidentialised unit record from Growing Up in Australia – the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC); a partnership between the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The findings and views reported in this paper are those of the authors and should not be attributed to FaHCSIA, AIFS or the ABS

The contribution of sleep to ‘Closing the Gap’ in the health of Indigenous children: a methodological approach

Examination of the sleep of Australian Indigenous children presents some unique challenges, particularly in terms of community input, study design and in the collection of relevant data. Abstract Objectives: Research on Indigenous children’s sleep quality is likely to play a significant part in ‘Closing the Gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children’s health, academic performance and social outcomes. However, examination of the sleep of Australian Indigenous children presents some unique challenges, particularly in terms of community input, study design and in the collection of relevant data. Methods: The current literature on Indigenous sleep research is reviewed and includes factors such as mental and physical health, socioeconomic disadvantage, and their relationships to sleep. Challenges encountered in researching Indigenous sleep and strategies for best practice are explored. Conclusion: Many challenges exist in researching sleep in Indigenous children, but the imperative of undertaking this task is clear. An assessment of the sleep of Australian Indigenous children requires a thorough evaluation of factors that contribute to sleep health such as co-morbid disease, regional factors and social disadvantage. Methodological issues include appropriate assessment tools, affordable and objective sleep quality measures, accounting for differing cultural beliefs and practices and timekeeping associated with bedtimes and get-up times

Child labor, school attendance, and indigenous households : evidence from Mexico

The authors use panel data for Mexico for 1997 to 1999 to test several assumptions regarding the impact of a conditional cash transfer program on child labor, emphasizing the differential impact on indigenous households. Using data from the conditional cash transfer program in Mexico PROGRESA (OPORTUNIDADES) they investigate the interaction between child labor and indigenous households. While indigenous children had a greater probability of working in 1997, this probability is reversed after treatment in the program. Indigenous children also had lower school attainment compared with Spanish-speaking or bilingual children. After the program, school attainment among indigenous children increased, reducing the gap.Street Children,Children and Youth,Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Public Health Promotion,Street Children,Youth and Governance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Children and Youth,Child Labor

Review of early childhood parenting, education and health intervention programs for Indigenous children and families in Australia

This paper provides a review of prevention and early intervention research literature that is focused on improving outcomes for Australian Indigenous children in the early childhood years. For the purposes of this paper, early childhood is defined as the years from conception to school entry. The included literature was drawn from 3 key areas of early childhood research: parenting, early childhood education, and early childhood health. Aims One aim of this paper is to bring together up-to-date information about the range of evaluated intervention programs for Indigenous children and their families, where the information is targeted at the early childhood years. A second aim is to review research on the programs’ effectiveness in bringing about positive change in the lives of Indigenous children and their parents. The third and primary aim of the paper is to assess the quality of published or publicly available research and evaluation of early intervention programs for Indigenous children and families in Australia: the intent is to assist practitioners and policy makers in their choice of intervention programs for use in Indigenous communities. In doing so, the paper omits discussion of programs that have not yet been evaluated or whose evaluations are not publicly available. Such programs may well be as effective, or even more effective, than those reviewed here. It also needs to be kept in mind that using the quality of research design as a primary criterion for program adoption can be problematic in Australia, where research funding is difficult to obtain and often inadequate to conduct the randomised controlled trials and longitudinal research designs that are the ‘gold standard’ for a high-quality evidence base

Trauma Informed Teaching Practices for Indigenous Children

This thesis aims to introduce educators to trauma-informed teaching practices for Indigenous children. Due to generational trauma, adultification, and other issues Indigenous children face, it is imperative to find strategies that educators can use to combat trauma-based behaviors that take place in the classroom. While there is a lot of research on the generational trauma that Indigenous children face, there is no connection to having it manifest in the classroom. Through a review of interviews, literature, and research, it was found that practices like restorative justice, Applied Behavioral Analysis, and activities like the Blanket Exercise by Kairos are all trauma-informed strategies that can serve Indigenous children in the classroom setting. By having teachers implement these practices, Indigenous children can have a safer classroom experience

Ear disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

This resource sheet reviews past and current programs, research and strategies (both government and non-government) for the prevention and treatment of ear disease in Indigenous children. Introduction Ear disease and the associated hearing loss are significant health problems for Indigenous children. Children in many Indigenous communities suffer from chronic ear disease, in particular otitis media, at rates that well exceed the 4% threshold at which a disease is regarded as a major public health problem. Ear disease, particularly where it leads to hearing loss, is a large contributor to poor educational achievement and higher unemployment and, as a consequence, greater contact with the criminal justice system later in life. While the roots of this disease essentially lie in disadvantage and poverty, a number of environmental factors, individual genetics and microbial genomic factors also contribute. Preventing ear disease in Indigenous children by tackling these factors is a high priority. While the social and biological bases of ear disease are reasonably well understood, many programs and strategies for its prevention do not appear to have worked effectively. In some cases, programs to prevent ear disease and associated hearing loss have been implemented without sufficient planning and high quality evidence. However, recent health services delivered under the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory (SFNT) strategy have shown some success in reducing hearing loss, the prevalence of otitis media, and the severity of hearing impairment. This resource sheet reviews past and current programs, research and strategies (both government and non-government) for the prevention and treatment of ear disease in Indigenous children. While the focus of the document is on preventing ear disease, programs aimed at treating infection and minimising hearing loss are also reviewed

Trauma-informed services and trauma-specific care for Indigenous Australian children

This paper examines how childhood trauma experienced by Indigenous children can be overcome by appropriate interventions.IntroductionWhile many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children grow up in safe homes and live in safe communities, there are some who do not. In the case of Indigenous children, some families and communities are unable to, or are still working to, heal the trauma of past events, including displacement from Country, institutionalisation and abuse. The Stolen Generations also represent a significant cause of trauma. In 2008, an estimated 8% of Indigenous people aged 15 and over reported being removed from their natural family and 38% had relatives who had been removed from their natural family. This trauma can pass to children (inter-generational trauma).Indigenous children may also experience a range of distressing life events including illness and accidents, hospitalisation or death of close family members, exposure to violence, family disintegration (with kin networks fragmented due to forced removals, relationship breakdown and possibly incarceration) and financial stress.Experiencing trauma in childhood can have severe and long-lasting effects; effects that can be overcome by appropriate interventions. This resource sheet examines these effects and explores how they can be tackled. It focuses on the design and delivery of trauma-informed and trauma-specific children’s services and care

Conversations with a Dead Man: The Legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott by Mark Abley

This review explores Mark Abley\u27s book on the legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott, the poet/bureaucrat responsible for the development and implementation of Canada\u27s failed residential schools policy for indigenous children. The book places Scott in the context of his time while examining the results of his agency\u27s policies