Good morning,
Welcome to the August addition of the KARI newsletter.
I would like to personally thank everyone who attended the KARI NAIDOC Corporate lunch or any NAIDOC event during the month of July. You celebrated not only Aboriginal culture but the women in our lives who allow us to achieve.
This Saturday the 4th August is the 30th anniversary of National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. I encourage everyone to help celebrate this day in their local communities and organisations.
During July, KARI Foundation has developed partnerships with:
- the Sydney Motorway Corporation to deliver the WestConnex Indigenous Drivers program
- Optus, delivering youth education programs
- the Sydney Roosters with the National Rugby League Women’s team
- Black Duck Procurement who sponsored our NAIDOC event
- The Brew Hub
We are looking forward to working with our current and new partners and delivering positive change.
The Tune Review
The NSW Government has released the Independent Review of out of Home Care in NSW, or the ‘Tune Review’. It was released following parliamentary pressure.
The Review made some important observations about the way government as a whole relates to vulnerable children and families.
It found that, while the current system responds to immediate crises, it’s failing to address the complex needs of vulnerable children and families. There’s also failure to arrest the devastating cycles of intergenerational abuse and neglect. Outcomes are particularly poor for Aboriginal children and young people.
The Review concluded that a siloed approach to service design and delivery, with its dependence on goodwill for coordination across agencies, was inadequate to address the needs of vulnerable children and families.
The Review recommended a vision for a whole-of-system reform to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families. It recommended changes to ensure:
- children and young people are safe and supported to reach their potential
- vulnerable families receive help specific to their needs, to improve their outcomes and future wellbeing
- Aboriginal children and families have access to effective, culturally appropriate services to address current needs and future opportunities.
For over 19 years, KARI has been an advocate for a holistic approach OOHC. We have increased direct funding into early intervention and culturally appropriate programs and services for Indigenous children.
This review is a start to addressing the concerns for young people in care.
We encourage all levels of government to take a realistic and measured approached to ensuring our children are not lost in a system as well as supported to break the cycle. This will help them have meaningful and empowered futures.
Thank you for taking the time to read my update. I hope you enjoy reading our news stories from July.
Yours in culture,
Casey Ralph, KARI CEO
