Marking 20 years since the release of Bringing Them Home, the Healing Foundation has launched a report identifying that members of Australia’s Stolen Generations are still struggling with the impacts of unresolved trauma, in part because the recommendations from the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families have not been fully implemented. Bringing Them Home 20 Years On sets out an action plan to overhaul the policy landscape for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Healing Foundation found the most pressing needs relate to federally coordinated financial reparations similar to the Commonwealth Redress Scheme provided to survivors of child sexual abuse; a full analysis of the Stolen Generations’ changing needs as they age; a national study on intergenerational trauma, its impacts, and the best ways to address this trauma; and ensuring all professionals who work with the Stolen Generations and their descendants – from police to mental health workers – are trained in recognising and addressing Indigenous trauma.
