It has been nine years since I last walked out of the Adelaide Youth Training Centre. As
someone who experienced the criminal legal system as a young person, I know how damaging it can be.
Guardian Shona Reid has just kicked off her regional visits, touching down in Ceduna yesterday afternoon.
Today we commemorate an event very close to my heart, National Sorry Day. As an Eastern Arrernte woman, as a mother, and as Guardian for Children and Young People, it means a lot to have the opportunity to share my reflections on the origins of this day and how our nation can learn from the past, to create better futures for First Nations children and young people.
In our role as advocates and helping to project the voices of children and young in care, we are often privileged to build long lasting, respectful connections with the young people we work alongside. Felicity Graham is an amazing woman who we have the absolutely honour of having such a relationship with.
As a mother of seven and a fierce protector of my children – some I have given birth to, others I have not – there is nothing I would not do for them. I was reminded of this when my 8-year-old son handed me a card for Mother’s Day, thanking me for all that I do for him. At the same time, at the pit of my stomach my thoughts went immediately to the children and young people who are without their own mothers.
We are pleased to welcome three new advocates to our team. The new team members come from varied backgrounds, and we know that their extensive and diverse experience will be of great benefit to our office and to the children and young people who call us in need of support and advocacy.
Working in child safety and wellbeing is one of the most rewarding, and simultaneously challenging, sectors within government and the broader community. So it is important to acknowledge and say thank you for the contribution of outgoing child protection CEO, Cathy Taylor.
This is a story of how our vulnerable young people caught up in child protection and youth justice systems need our love, care and support. They need to be listened to, have a say in decisions that affect them and know that we believe in them.
Concerned about the ongoing deaths of people while detained, Shona Reid, along with other members of the Australian National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) Network, wrote a joint submission to the United Nations urging them to consider the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.
The Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians, which Guardian Shona Reid is a member of, have wholeheartedly provided their support to the full implementation of the Uluru Statement.
We acknowledge and respect Aboriginal People as the traditional owners
and custodians of the land we live and work on, their living culture and their unique role in the life of South Australia.