RESUMO
Reducing the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care (OOHC) is a key Closing the Gap target committed to by all Australian governments. Current strategies are failing. The "gap" is widening, with the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC at 30 June 2020 being 11 times that of non-Indigenous children. Approximately, one in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering OOHC each year are younger than one year. These figures represent compounding intergenerational trauma and institutional harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. This article outlines systemic failures to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents during pregnancy and following birth, causing cumulative harm and trauma to families, communities and cultures. Major reform to child and family notification and service systems, and significant investment to address this crisis, is urgently needed. The Family Matters Building Blocks and five elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (Prevention, Participation, Partnership, Placement and Connection) provide a transformative foundation to address historical, institutional, well-being and socioeconomic drivers of current catastrophic trajectories. The time for action is now.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Complex trauma can have serious impacts on the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. The perinatal period represents a 'critical window' for recovery and transforming cycles of trauma into cycles of healing. The Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future (HPNF) project aims to implement and evaluate a programme of strategies to improve support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander families experiencing complex trauma. METHOD: The HPNF programme was codesigned over 4 years to improve awareness, support, recognition and assessment of trauma. Components include (1) a trauma-aware, healing-informed training and resource package for service providers; (2) trauma-awareness resources for parents; (3) organisational readiness assessment; (4) a database for parents and service providers to identify accessible and appropriate additional support and (5) piloting safe recognition and assessment processes. The programme will be implemented in a large rural health service in Victoria, Australia, over 12 months. Evaluation using a mixed-methods approach will assess feasibility, acceptability, cost, effectiveness and sustainability. This will include service user and provider interviews; service usage and cost auditing; and an administrative linked data study of parent and infant outcomes. ANALYSIS: Qualitative data will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative and service usage outcomes will be described as counts and proportions. Evaluation of health outcomes will use interrupted time series analyses. Triangulation of data will be conducted and mapped to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance frameworks to understand factors influencing feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, cost and sustainability. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Approval granted from St Vincent's Melbourne Ethics Committee (approval no. 239/22). Data will be disseminated according to the strategy outlined in the codesign study protocol, in-line with the National Health and Medical Research Council Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Excellence criteria.