‘Keeping Ourselves Safe From the System’: Perinatal Care Model Considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Intersecting With Child Protection

Sep 20, 2026

Upload by Rizky

Priority for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Australian governments is to provide infants enriching environments during the perinatal period. Despite this, child protection notifications and interventions are rising in the first year of life. The research synthesizes parent, service provider, and researcher perspectives on a community-led preventative perinatal care model for families at risk, using reflexive thematic analysis of discussions with 22 parents and 80 practitioners.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background

Australian Journal of Social Issues ORIGINAL ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe From the System’: Perinatal Care Model Considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Intersecting With Child Protection Neve Mucabel-Bue1 | Shakira Onwuka1 | Paul Gray2 | Melissa O'Donnell3 | Helen Herrman4 | Renna Gayde3,5 | Skye Stewart1 | Kimberley A. Jones1 | Jane Fisher6 | Emma Stubbs7 | Cath Chamberlain1 | Jacynta Krakouer3,8 1Onemda Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Wellbeing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 2Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | 3Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | 4Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia | 5Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia | 6Global and Women's Health Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 7Public Health, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Alice Springs, Northwest Territories, Australia | 8UniSA Justice & Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Correspondence: Neve Mucabel-Bue ([neve.bue@unimelb.edu.au](neve.bue@unimelb.edu.au)) | Jacynta Krakouer ([jacynta.krakouer@adelaide.edu.au](jacynta.krakouer@adelaide.edu.au)) Received: 31 July 2025 | Revised: 5 November 2025 | Accepted: 25 November 2025 Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples | child protection | infant removal | model of care | systemic issues ABSTRACT It is the priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and Australian governments, to provide infants with enriching environments in which they may thrive. This is particularly critical during the perinatal period. Yet, an increasing number of notifications and interventions by child protection authorities are occurring in the first year of life. This research reports parent, service provider and researcher perspectives about systemic considerations on a community-led preventative, perinatal care model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at risk of child protection involvement. Reflexive thematic analysis of discussions with 22 parents and 80 practitioners from across Australia is included, with 61% of participants identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Three themes were generated: (1) Child Protection is a Colonial System,(2) Risk-Averse Practice within Child Protection and Allied Systems,(3) Centring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Knowledgesis Vital. Our analysis suggests that dominant Western ideologies, processes, and structures that underpin secondary and tertiary interventions (e.g., bureaucratic processes) present inherent barriers to Aboriginal-led interventions. Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, sovereignty, and leadership are crucial to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to thrive, in turn reducing child removals. 1 | Introduction 1.1 | Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have nurtured strong, healthy children for millennia (Chamberlain et al. 2025; Dudgeon and Bray 2019) . While there is significant diversity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultural practices and governance systems that define relational responsibilities and promote holistic community care are common (Chamberlain et al. 2022; Ramsamy 2014) . However, in Australia, as in other settler-colonial contexts such as Turtle Island (North America) (Rocha Beardall and Edwards 2021; Blackstock 2007) and Aotearoa New Zealand (Cleaver 2025), colonisation has imposed systems that have disrupted cultural practices and established ongo

FAQs

What is the focus of the perinatal care model discussed in the article?

The article examines systemic considerations for a community-led preventative perinatal care model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at risk of child protection involvement.

How were participants involved and what was the analysis approach?

Perspectives were gathered from 22 parents and 80 practitioners across Australia, and reflexive thematic analysis generated three themes.

What key barriers does the analysis highlight for Aboriginal-led interventions?

The findings suggest that dominant Western ideologies, processes, and structures underpinning secondary and tertiary interventions, including bureaucratic processes, create inherent barriers.

Sep 20, 2026

Upload by Rizky