The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care is a complex issue. This year’s report shows that Indigenous children continue to enter statutory child protection systems at a greater rate, stay longer, and exit via reunification or restoration far less frequently.

Natalie Lewis is a Gamilaraay yinar woman, CEO of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak, Co-Chair of the national Family Matters campaign, and was recently appointed to the Queensland First Children and Families Board.

Fewer than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are placed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers, following a steep decline over the last 10 years. This places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who are removed from their families at serious risk of being permanently disconnected from their families, communities and cultures.

Already ten times more likely to be living in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous kids, this report argues that the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care is predicted to triple over the next twenty years unless urgent action is taken.