NT receives $2.6m to support Closing the Gap initiatives

By PETER ROWE

The Federal Government is to invest $2.6 million to trial a new approach to support First Nations women, children and families at risk of, or impacted by, family and domestic violence in the greater Darwin region.

Danila Dilba Health Service, an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation based in Darwin, will receive the funding over two years to look at a new approach to reach and support at-risk families.

Under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, Target 12 aims to reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent by 2031.

Target 13 is to reduce the rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by at least 50 per cent by 2031, as progress towards zero.

A group of First Nations organisations and community leaders, with expertise or lived experience in matters relating to child protection and family violence, worked together to design the project.

As part of the program, a team of skilled practitioners from Danila Dilba will offer a culturally safe environment to victim-survivors, identify families at risk, assess their needs and put tailored responses in place, including connecting families with relevant services in Darwin.

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said up to 200 local Darwin families are expected to benefit from the trial over the next 12 months.

“Local organisations will work together to connect with families at risk of entering the child protection system and provide support to women and children who are at risk of family violence,” Minister Rishworth said.

“This project will provide much needed, additional support to First Nations women, children and families in the Greater Darwin area.

“We know First Nations families are disproportionately impacted by family, domestic, and sexual violence, and this project aims to reduce the number of children in out-of-home care.

“The Government is continuing to invest in areas of need to address the unacceptably high rates of violence we continue to see in the Northern Territory.

This includes our ongoing partnership with the Northern Territory Government, as well as significant investments in local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Malarndirri McCarthy said the safety of First Nations women and children experiencing family, domestic and sexual violence, or who are at risk of contact with the child protection system is a priority for the Government.

“We are committed to working with First Nations people, state and territory governments and, organisations like Danila Dilba to address the disproportionately high rates of family violence and contact with the child protection system,” Minister McCarthy said.

“Supporting organisations like Danila Dilba to provide culturally safe services to at-risk First Nations families will ensure better outcomes for women and children in the Greater Darwin area.”

First Nations women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised due to violence than non-Indigenous women and 6 times more likely to die because of family violence.