We must remember, that at the heart of this, are Australian children.
Image: An Aboriginal family stands together, there are two women, one teenage girl and one toddle. They are embracing the toddler.
In a landmark moment in Australia’s journey to close the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians, a historic partnership was announced between the Coalition of Peaks and all state and territory governments in February. This collaboration, hailed as the 'circuit breaker' needed to end the ongoing cycle of failure, represents a pivotal shift in the way Closing the Gap initiatives are designed, implemented, and evaluated.
"The truth is that the existing Closing the Gap framework was doomed to fail when it was designed without the input of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," she said in response to the 2020 report.
With the continuing gap in health, education, employment, and wellbeing outcomes still painfully evident, this new approach is one critical step towards change, but more will be needed from the non-government sector, particularly non-Indigenous organisations.
Image: Graphic of The Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap is between Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks. It sets out how the Parties work together on Closing the Gap. Graphic via Coalition of Peaks.
First Nations Led solutions are the best way to see positive change
Today, the majority of services provided to First Nations people are delivered by non-Indigenous organisations and the services themselves have not been First Nations designed and led. One of the most significant ways in which organisations outside of government can contribute to closing the gap is through direct collaboration with First Nations communities and advocacy for systems and policies to be self-determined.
Our commitments
Life Without Barriers is actively transitioning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in our care to community control through our Transformation Project within our 2022-2025 Elevate RAP.
“We must openly identify parts of this system that are built on discriminatory ideas and practices, and we must challenge and change these together,” Claire Robbs, Chief Executive.
The Transformation Project is Life Without Barriers’ promise to contribute towards reducing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by working in partnership with SNAICC - National Voice for our Children (SNAICC) and other Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can grow in culture and with kin.
That means transitioning children and young people in our care to community control and working with the sector, Government and First Nations leaders to advocate for generational change in how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are supported to thrive.
Life Without Barriers is progressively step away from providing out-of-home care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by 2031.
Why did we make this commitment?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are distressingly overrepresented in the out-of-home care system. Close the Gap targets are aiming to reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent. But at the current rate of progress, this target will not be met. Children face futures of lifelong disadvantage and discrimination if we don’t take radical steps to change this trajectory.
Allies for Children and the First Nations NGO Alliance
We know that whilst our efforts are important, we need the non-Indigenous service sector to change together in the best interests of children, young people and families. Life Without Barriers is a founding member of the Allies for Children, a formalised partnership of non-Indigenous organisations actively working to transfer power back to community-controlled organisations.
By not competing with Indigenous-led organisations for services and instead helping them to lead the way, Allies for Children, and many other organisations, are striving to support First Nations led solutions that prioritises cultural authority and puts First Nations communities children at the heart of decision-making.
The Allies for Children is working with the First Nations NGO Alliance to ensure decisions Allies for Children are seeking to make within their organisations are informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Late last year, Allies for children organisations committed to:
The transition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their organisations to community control.
To strengthen the community control organisations by ensuring Allies organisations do not compete to deliver services to First Nations people and communities
To work with government and communities to prevent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being placed in the care on non-Indigenous organisations and to prevent them coming into care
Read the linked Position Statement — Allies For Children Australia.
The organisations which make up for the Allies for Children are; Life Without Barriers, Act for Kids, OzChild, Mackillop Family Services, Key Assets, Barnardos Australia and The Benevolent Society. Learn more at alliesforchildren.org.au.
Image: An Aboriginal women is sitting at a playground with her two children. The children are wearing primary school uniforms and the mother is making food.
The Urgency of Addressing the Gap
For too long, Australia has grappled with systemic gaps in health and wellbeing outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. The most recent Closing the Gap report, released in February 2020, confirmed the dire reality that progress on the majority of Closing the Gap targets remains frustratingly out of reach. Mortality rates, infant mortality, and issues around youth incarceration and mental health continue to widen the gap, with First Nations children disproportionately affected.
Read more about our support for the #RaisetheAge Campaign.
A Call to Action
Closing the gap is not just a government responsibility; it is a collective responsibility for all Australians, yes even you. The historic partnership between the Coalition of Peaks and all governments offers genuine hope, but it is up to organisations, communities, and individuals to ensure that this moment is built upon.
The opportunity for real, lasting change is here, but it requires the commitment of every Australian. Whether through supporting First Nations-led organisations, or tackling racism, we all have a role to play in making Closing the Gap a reality.
Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that requires our constant learning and commitment. The time for change is now, and we wonder, what could it look like if the whole of Australia prioritised caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Image: A young Aboriginal boy is sitting in a highchair drinking milk from a blue Sippy cup. He is staring into the camera.
