Australia’s child protection system will be transformed with a commitment from Allies for Children.
Image: A young girl dressed in a yellow top and skirt with white and yellow body paint on her arms and face, dancing at the Garma Festival. Image provided by Garma Festival.
Life Without Barriers is a founding member of Allies for Children, a formal partnership of organisations working across the child, youth and family sector to ignite long term, positive outcomes for vulnerable children, young people, and families.
Allies for Children organisations* have made a historic commitment to the transition and reunification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their care to Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs).
This commitment will see the founding partners who represent 20% of the Child Youth and Family Sector put their support behind community-controlled organisations to care for children, a significant step towards reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have inherent rights to experience their childhood and youth connected to their culture, community and kin. Allies for Children believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people need the support of their families and communities in order to grow and thrive.
When placed into care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are best supported by ACCOs.
The organisations have committed to:
The effective transition and reunification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their care to community control
To not to compete in tendering and commissioning where ACCOs should be providing services and
Working with Peaks, ACCOs and state governments on referrals of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care to ensure they are supported by ACCOs and not mainstream services where possible.
Image: A young boy wearing white body paint and a red headband, holding a branch from a gum tree, looks at the camera. Image provided by Garma Festival.
Claire Robbs, Chief Executive of Life Without Barriers, said the commitment was the first step in creating system-wide change.
“We don’t have to wait for government. We actually can take this ourselves, and that in itself, will really shift the change.”
“If we’re truly practitioners and we’re focused on the best interests of children in our communities, then the research, the evidence and the First Nations communities tell us that Aboriginal children have the innate right to grow up in culture and community, and we know that the evidence tells us that that is what is in their best interests,” she said.
Catherine Liddle, Chief Executive of SNAICC, said the commitment from the Allies for Children organisations was a bold first move, which would need appropriate resources to ensure community controlled services had what they needed to be ready.
"Community-controlled organisations provide the best outcomes for children and families. They have greater successes in reunifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with family, because they are an intrinsic part of community,” said Catherine.
“The government hasn’t made a change as bold as this one.”
“So, it starts with that type of catalyst. Do I think that there will be challenges for services as they go on this journey? Absolutely, there will be challenges for them, but it starts with the commitment, and they are committed, and this is a really good thing.”
“And what we now need is for governments to also lean into this and get it to help work with the community controlled sector, to be ready and to be ready at the pace they need and with the resourcing that they need,” she said.
Image: A group of three young people at the Garma Festival smiling at the camera . Image provided by Garma Festival.
Claire Robbs said the commitment will mean changes for the NGOs as well, as they take steps back to let Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations take the lead.
“This means that the power, the funding, the having that seat at the table will transfer from organisations like the allies, over to Aboriginal community and Aboriginal controlled organisations, and peaks, when it’s relevant to Aboriginal children, and all of that is part of this journey,” Claire said.
Life Without Barriers will continue to share the experiences and learnings of transition with colleagues in the child, youth, and family sector, encouraging them to journey with us. Our pace and engagement are informed and led by community-controlled organisations and peaks.
*Founding members of Allies for Children includes Act for Kids, Barnardos Australia, Life Without Barriers, OzChild, Mackillop Family Services, Key Assets and the Benevolent Society.
