ABSTRACT
In many countries carrying historic legacies of settler-colonialism, Indigenous children are notably over-represented among populations of crossover youth. Drawing upon consultations with professionals, as well as case file data, this chapter explores the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in their relationships with child protection and justice systems and how heightened socio-economic deprivation and poorly supported communities disadvantage Indigenous children and fracture their cultural connection. Key stakeholders stress the challenges to Indigenous peoples’ service engagement, and the at times reluctance to intervene to protect Indigenous children, even when warranted, because of complex relationships between the Indigenous community and government agencies. This means at times children remain at risk, and in unstable circumstances, and later progress to offending, with diminished chances of remediation. A case example is used to illustrate how connection to community and culture forms a valuable approach for better-supporting Indigenous crossover children.
