Calling for an end to harmful child “protection” systems, and investment in what works
Every Child Protection Week, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to keep children safe. This year’s theme, ‘Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action’, speaks directly to the urgent need for change when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
For our children, the conversation has gone on long enough. The time for action is well overdue.
Headlines are starting to sound the same – stories of failure, more to do, safety concerns and yet another inquiry. All while the over-representation of our children in out-of-home care continues to worsen.
The system, as it stands, was built against us. What people need to understand is that the child protection systems are not protecting children, they are harming them – that’s why all the enquiries are being held.
The name is a misnomer and it’s acting as a conveyor belt leading too many of our children from separation to disadvantage and far too often into the youth justice system.
Life-changing work
But amid this system’s crisis, there is also hope and some incredible strengths.
Across the country, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs) have been quietly and consistently leading the way in transforming outcomes for our children and families.
I want to take a moment to thank our ACCOs for this life-changing work. Your leadership, cultural knowledge and deep connection to community are at the heart of what works.
I can say first-hand that the community-controlled sector is not just providing services, they are restoring futures.
For years, Aboriginal- and Torres Strait Islander-led programs have shown what our communities have always known, when children are supported early and within their families, we prevent harm and keep them safe.
Yet, despite our children making up 41 percent of children in out-of-home care, ACCOs receive just six percent of child protection funding. Only 15 percent of investment goes to early intervention, with 85 percent spent after removal.
This isn’t about funding shortages – it’s about political will to change.
We’ve seen the sector move faster than Government with the work of the Allies for Children, a group of major non-Indigenous NGOs committed to transitioning services to Aboriginal control. It’s time for governments to match that commitment with decisive action.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children remain far less likely to be reunified with their families than non-Indigenous children. The longer our children stay in care, the more likely they are to enter youth justice. In fact, children with multiple placements and long periods in care are at significantly higher risk of future incarceration.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 26 times more likely to be involved in the youth justice system if they’ve had a child protection interaction.
This life-altering and too often life-limiting path begins with systemic failure and ends in criminalisation. There are very few meaningful interventions in place to stop this crossover. I think we would all like to see more action to see that change.
The Family Matters Report shows us where things are going wrong but more importantly, it tells us where things can go right. The report brings together data and case studies to show where and how we need action and its message is clear – when governments invest in ACCOs, when they support self-determination and early intervention, outcomes improve.
ACCOs are more successful at reunification. They provide services that are culturally strong, locally trusted, and accountable to their communities.
They are the solution.
Real action
The appointment of our first National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Sue-Anne Hunter, marks a powerful step forward in this journey.
It is the result of tireless advocacy and a tangible achievement of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. I must give credit where it is due – this role and appointment is commendable action, and a lever government can use to their advantage and more importantly, to our children’s benefit.
The most pressing question governments must now ask themselves is not whether we have the evidence, but whether they are willing to act on it.
Because action, in its truest form, means supporting our children to be safe and strong at home, on Country, with family and kin. It means dismantling the structures that keep them in the system.
It means funding early intervention, prevention and healing – not just response and removal. It means honouring the commitments made under Closing the Gap and Safe and Supported. It means committing to real transformative action.
This October, SNAICC will host the largest national gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and family leaders, advocates and changemakers in Meanjin/Brisbane – SNAICC’25. This event comes at a critical moment in our national journey.
With around 2,000 delegates, 80-plus sessions and a powerful program led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experts, SNAICC’25 is an unmatched opportunity to engage with proven community-led solutions, influence national policy and strengthen culturally safe approaches to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
Over three days, SNAICC’25 will showcase the best in Aboriginal-led practice, celebrate our culture, and focus on reform not in theory but in action. Delegates will hear from leaders across sectors, including Commissioner Hunter, youth voices, and policy experts.
We know what works. We have the evidence. We have the leadership. We even have the commitments on paper.
Now, we need action.
Because every child deserves to grow up safe, loved, and proud of who they are.
To register – SNAICC National Conference 2025.
This op-ed was originally published in Croakey Health Media on September 10, 2025