The 7th SNAICC National Conference was held at the National Convention Centre, in the lands of the Ngunnawal people where Canberra’s name is derived from the Ngunnawal word ‘kamberra’ meaning ‘meeting place’.
The 7th SNAICC National Conference brought together over 1100 delegates from across the country who shared and reaffirmed their commitment to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Delegates called for urgent action to ensure our children grow up safe, healthy and strong in their families and communities.
Bring Them Home: Securing the rights of our children
The 2017 conference gathering coincided with the 20-year anniversary of the seminal Bringing Them Home report, which exposed the violations of fundamental human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities through the policies and practices of the Stolen Generations.
The Bringing Them Home report unearthed the ongoing grief caused by these policies and their far-reaching impact. It charted a way forward to redress the wrongs, to support those who had experienced wrongs, and to ensure that such a phenomena would never happen again. 20 years on many recommendations lay unimplemented and rates of child removal continue to soar. Never before have so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children been removed from family and culture.
The 7th SNAICC National Conference centred on this anniversary to raise awareness and discussion of ongoing child removal, its causes and consequences for children, families and communities. The focus was on strategies and best practice in supporting children to be safe and cared for within family and culture – strategy and best practice in reducing interaction with the child protection system.
Conference Communiqué
Plenary Presentations
