Overview

Abstract (English)

Against a background of what appears to be an impenetrable set of poor socio economic conditions facing Aboriginal people, the West Australian State and Australian governments continue to invest billions of dollars to address these circumstances. While there has been improvements in some areas, conditions continue to deteriorate in other areas in spite of the efforts. For example Western Australia has the highest number of Indigenous people in prison per capita than any other state or territory, increasing from 2155.7 per 100 000 in 1999 to 3 328.7 per 100 000 in 2009. Similarly the rates of Aboriginal children in care within the WA State child protection system is upwards of 40 percent of all children in State care, while only representing 3 percent of the State’s total population. This research project sought to explore the delivery of child protection, child health and primary educational services to Aboriginal people by the WA State Government in the Perth Metropolitan and Geraldton Regions. More specifically it aimed at documenting the perceptions (e.g. experiences, attitudes and values) that Aboriginal clients and non-Aboriginal service providers had of themselves and of each other and at examining how these perceptions mediated how these services were provided and received. Our findings remind us that policy needs to consider more than just good data.

Abstract (French)

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