Overview
The community services sector comprises a diverse group of services that support and protect individuals and families of differing ages and in different social and economic circumstances. They provide emotional, physical, psychological and economic support by contributing to the development of community infrastructure and networks that in turn support individuals and families in need (NCSIMG Strategic Plan 2005-09). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were over-represented in several areas of community services programs, although in some areas poor data quality makes an accurate measure of their use of services difficult to determine. Improvements in Indigenous status data quality in the community services sector is an ongoing concern of most community services data collections, and improvements are being made across the board to ensure the provision of community services to Indigenous clients can be accurately assessed. Housing has been identified as a major factor affecting the health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is explored as a separate subject.
Indigenous community services information
Information on Indigenous clients of the Home and Community Care, Residential Aged Care and Community Aged Care programs. Indigenous clients of aged care services tend to be younger than non-Indigenous clients and are more likely to receive community-based aged care than residential care.
Information on the following topics:
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Indigenous children in the child protection system, including notifications, investigations, substantiations, care and protection orders and out-of-home care. In 2004-05, the rates of Indigenous children represented across all parts of the child protection system were greater than for other children. The Aboriginal Child Placement Principle is also discussed.
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In 2004-05, 6% (4 out of 65) of local adoptions were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children.
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The rate of Indigenous children in child-care (2004) was lower than that for other Australian children, but the rate was higher for Indigenous children attending pre-school (2004-05).
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In 2003-04, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people were over-represented within juvenile justice supervision. They tended to be younger and comprised a greater proportion of females than non-Indigenous young people in the juvenile justice system.
In 2004-05, 3.1% of all users of Commonwealth and State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) services reported that they were of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. They were more likely to be in younger age groups (0-19 years) and were more likely to have accessed respite, community support and accommodation support services compared to non-Indigenous service users.
In 2004-05, Indigenous Australians were over-represented in SAAP relative to their population size, making up 16% of the total SAAP clientele. Nationally, 20% of female and 11% of male SAAP clients identified as being of Indigenous origin.