Suicide exposes crisis for indigenous children
Padraic Murphy; 25/9/08
The suicide of a 12-year-old boy in Kowanyama has exposed the child safety crisis in remote indigenous communities in Queensland. The case has prompted authorities to admit that 40 per cent of notifications are not dealt with and staff on the ground are inexperienced, under-resourced and unable to cope with the misery played out daily in Cape York communities. Queensland Coroner Michael Barnes has criticised the state’s police, child protection system and even his own office over how authorities handled the suicide of the 12-year-old. Mr Barnes delivered a stinging rebuke to the state Government by recommending a review of funding and training to ensure child safety workers can “discharge their functions within the mandated time frames”.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24399063-5013404,00.html
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Domestic Violence, health