The removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families gained national attention in Australia following the Bringing Them Home Report in 1997. However, the voices of Indigenous parents were largely missing from the Report. The Inquiry attributed their lack of testimony to the impact of trauma and the silencing impact of parents' overwhelming sense of guilt and despair; a submission by Link-Up NSW commented on Aboriginal mothers being "unwilling and unable to speak about the immense pain, grief and anguish that losing their children had caused them." This book explores what happened to Aboriginal mothers who had children removed and why they have overwhelmingly remained silent about their experiences. Identifying the structural barriers to Aboriginal mothering in the Stolen Generations era, the author examines how contemporary laws, policies and practices increased the likelihood of Aboriginal child removal and argues that negative perceptions of Aboriginal mothering underpinned removal processes, with tragic consequences. This book makes an important contribution to understanding the history of the Stolen Generations and highlights the importance of designing inclusive truth-telling processes that enable a diversity of perspectives to be shared.

This volume of the Research in Global Child Advocacy Series explores participatory methodologies and tools that involve children in research. Perspectives on the role of children have transitioned from viewing children as objects of research, to children as subjects of research, to acknowledgement of children as competent contributors and agents throughout the inquiry process. Researchers continue to explore approaches that honor the capacity of children, drawing on diverse methodologies to elevate children's voices and actively engage them in the production of knowledge. Nonetheless, despite these developments, questions over the extent to which children can be free of adult filters and influence merits sustained scholarly attention. The book includes chapters that critically examine methodological approaches that empower children in the research process. Contributions include empirical or practitioner pieces that operate from an empowerment paradigm and demonstrate the agenic capacity of children to contribute their perspectives and voices to our understanding of childhood and children's lives. The text also features conceptual pieces that challenge existing theoretical frameworks, critique research paradigms, and analyze dilemmas or tensions related to ethics, policy and power relations in the research process.

This book makes a critical case for advocacy in the lives of people with learning difficulties. This can only be applauded.' - Disability & Society 'I found this book to be a thoughtful, interesting and challenging read and I would recommend it to anyone working in the field of advocacy or involved in any capacity with people with learning disabilities. It raises many questions about advocacy in all its different forms and asks those of us involved in this field to reflect on our own practice and that of our funding bodies. It also challenges and invites reflection on prevailing attitudes towards learning disability more generally and the way in which services are provided. Finally it leaves the reader in no doubt of the benefit and necessity of advocacy services, to ensure that people with learning disabilities are able to have their voices heard and their needs understood and met.' -The British Journal of Developmental Disabilities 'This is designed for advocacy practitioners and staff working in agencies who come into contact with advocacy services. It is aimed at more experienced practitioners, and service planners, who are serious about developing effective advocacy services within a social inclusion framework.' - Care and Health magazine 'This book continues to raise questions about advocacy throughout. It asks questions of those who are advocates and those who have the duty of funding such services. It is a very thoughtful and practical collection of essays on a whole range of issues and ranges, and seeks to provide, some answers. In addition to all this, it is very readable and provides a quite comprehensive bibliography, which in itself is worth the cost of the book.' - Rostrum 'Advocacy and Learning Disability is a sound collection of perspectives with an interesting international flavour. Barry Gray and Robin Jackson have collected insightful contributions from Britain, the USA, New Zealand and Australia to create a useful overview exploring a very wide range of self-advocacy issues directly related to learning disability delivery.' -The British Journal of Special Education Advocacy is a critically important element in the development of effective services for people with a learning disability. It is seen by many as the critical link between theory and practice in creating a truly inclusive society. This book presents an in-depth examination of the historical, legal and philosophical contexts within which advocacy services have developed. The kind of professional and practical issues and problems confronting those running and using advocacy services are discussed, and the role of advocacy is examined. Chapters covering advocacy with families and with people with communication difficulties contain helpful information for practitioners. A survey of the development of advocacy services in the USA, Australia and New Zealand provides an international perspective. Practical and informative, Advocacy and Learning Disability will be essential reading for advocacy practitioners and those working in agencies in the statutory and voluntary sectors who come into contact with advocacy services.