Bringing-Them-Home-Report-Web

A further problem is that we already have waiting lists of 6-8 weeks in all areas. If we wereto advertise specifically to provide a new counselling service for Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people we could not guarantee how soon there is a risk of violence or severe conflictin the family or relationship.Therefore while there is a need for access issues to be addressed the resource problem is themajor hurdle and we believe that to address this, funding would need to be provided.Non-government agencies with responsibility for counselling and supportservices for survivors of forcible removal must ensure the cultural suitability of theirservices, including through strategies to employ Indigenous staff, so that effectiveservices are provided. Relationships Australia submitted that Indigenous organisationsmay be best placed to provide the services needed.There is also the important consideration of ownership of services for Aboriginal people. Wedo not believe that funding organisations such as ourselves is necessarily the way to go …funding to Aboriginal organisations to manage such programs in which expertise could bepurchased from Relationships Australia and others, or joint projects may be a better solution(Relationships Australia submission 685 page 4).The Inquiry endorses the view that services are best provided by Indigenousagencies. The existence of specialist agencies, however, does not relieve agenciesfunded and intended for all Australians from their obligation to ensure their servicesare accessible and appropriate for all, including Indigenous clients. This obligation iseven more binding when there are no Indigenous agencies or when those which existare poorly resourced and unable to deal with every need in the Indigenouscommunity.Counselling servicesRecommendation 40a: That churches and other non-government welfare agenciesthat provide counselling and support services to those affected by forcible removalreview those services, in consultation with Indigenous communities andorganisations, to ensure they are culturally appropriate.Recommendation 40b: That churches and other non-government agencies whichplayed a role in the placement and care of Indigenous children forcibly removedfrom their families provide all possible support to Indigenous organisationsdelivering counselling and support services to those affected by forcible removal.Restitution of land… it is a sad but truthful fact that the church and Christian people in the history of this Satehave contributed to the trauma, the decimation of the language and the culture among theAboriginal community (Rev. Finlay submission 327 page 90).Church responsibilityThe loss of connection with and entitlements to land through forcible removalare discussed in Part 3. Some churches appear to understand that forcible removal has