Please help my family member know her family

From the depths of my heart, I am reaching out to share a story that has deeply affected our family. A story of love, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of what's right.

I am an aunt, filled with boundless love for my 6-year-old niece, seeking a lifeline to reunite and strengthen the bond between us. While the world may see titles like "aunt" or "third cousin" as distant relations, for me, it's a testament of the genuine love and commitment I hold for this innocent soul. She is family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

In 2022, I became a beacon of hope and a voice for my niece, who had been lost amidst bureaucratic errors and oversights for five long years. Shockingly, she grew up believing she had no family. She was deprived of the knowledge of her loving grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, and even her own brother. It's heart-wrenching to think that she may never get to meet her great-grandparents, our family's pillars of strength, because of these barriers. My niece lives in another state away from all of her family , and in 2022 I was travelling 13hr round trips consistently to build a relationship with her.

One glaring oversight was her misidentification in the care system. She was wrongly identified as indigenous due to a photograph and a misled statement. It took countless hours of research and relentless communication on my part to correct this. Yet, even after rectifying this, barriers persist, keeping her separated from the family that adores her. The reason they left her with an indigenous family was because in their mind they were following indigenous legislation leaving a child in the indigenous community instead of placing her back with her birth family. Once I proved she wasn’t indigenous it was a mute point , I removed their reasoning for not allowing contact only for the department to continue dismissing me.

I can't emphasize enough how crucial it is for children, especially those in care systems, to have connections to their biological family. They need anchors to ground them, answering questions that may arise as they grow older, helping them build a strong sense of identity. A child's sense of belonging is irreplaceable, offering them emotional stability and love that can shape their entire life.

Yet, the budding bond we were forming was curtailed. Just as she began to inquire, to dream of sleepovers, and yearn for family gatherings, our contact was restricted drastically. The system that should support family unity is tearing us apart, arguing it's for her "best interest." But isn't the warmth of family in the best interest of any child?

I've made innumerable attempts to rectify this situation. I've knocked on every possible door, reaching out to the department and even the minister, only to face silence, dismissal, or redirection.

Our plea is simple. We want to be heard. We want to fight for the sanctity of family, for the love every child deserves, and the right every child has to know their roots.

I am at a juncture where my resources are exhausted, and the financial demands of legal proceedings seem insurmountable. This is where I humbly seek your support. I hope to raise funds to take this matter to court, to be the voice for my niece, and ensure she grows up surrounded by the love and warmth of her true family.

Your help, in any way, can make a monumental difference in our journey. Let's champion the cause of family, love, and togetherness. Your support can pave the path for my niece to rediscover her family and her rightful place within it.