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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Sarah Collard

Aboriginal women are scared to seek help for fear their children will be taken, report finds

The number of Indigenous children in out-of-home care in Western Australia increased from 570 in 2003 to 3,068 in 2023.
The number of Indigenous children in out-of-home care in Western Australia increased from 570 in 2003 to 3,068 in 2023. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Briana* was just starting to get a handle on the unpredictability of feeding, bottles and all that comes with a newborn when she received an email informing her she had lost custody of her three-month-old son.

Days later, child protection authorities took her child. With him, they took many of the milestones the 36-year-old first-time mother was looking forward to. “I’m going to miss those first words, the first rollover, everything,” she says.

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