or signup to continue reading One of Bendigo's leading Indigenous advocacy groups has backed 17 recommendations for more culturally sensitive care for First Nations children handed down by the coroner in the . Victorian Coroner Simon McGregor found the human rights were breached when a state department did not listen to her desire to be connected with her culture while in care in Bendigo. XY, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, took her own life in 2021 when she was 17 years old at a .
Mr McGregor made the recommendations on Wednesday, June 19 which included several for the state's , after an inquest into the death of the teen, XY. Chief Executive of Bendigo District Aboriginal Co-operative, Dallas Widdicombe, said the case of XY highlighted a range of systemic issues that severed her connection to culture. "As Aboriginal people we know that connection to culture and community are critical to our wellbeing, and this couldn't be more important for a young child who is in a highly vulnerable situation," he said.
Mr Widdicombe said BDAC would be working closely with the relevant bodies to help oversee culturally-safe practices being achieved. XY, a Wemba Wemba girl, had been removed by child protection from her family home in October 2017 when she was 13, following reports to services beginning when she was aged 22 months. The coroner's findings noted that XY was a "beautiful, bright young spirit" and a child who "would light up a room".
Mr McGregor said that XY had comple.