SNAICC in the News | 17 April 2026

This week our Sector Transformation Principles Framework continued to draw national coverage, Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions turned to the risks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in regional and remote communities, and after the WA Government announced a $45 million child protection package we reiterate our calls to implement the long-promised WA Roadmap, and more.

Here is a look at where the conversation has been, 11–17 April 2026.

A push for Aboriginal-led child protection

Our Sector Transformation Principles Framework drew further coverage this week, with The Sector reporting on our call for mainstream out-of-home care providers to commit to returning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to culture, community and kin.

The Framework is a practical guide for organisations that want to transition out-of-home care services to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and put Aboriginal leadership at the centre of how services are designed and delivered.

The Framework builds on commitments that are already in place. Safe and Supported is the broader national framework for protecting Australia’s children, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan sits beneath it, setting out specific actions for our children and families under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. The policies are there. What is missing is consistent action.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle said:

“Our children are 10 times more likely to be in care compared to non-Indigenous children. This is a national emergency, and transformation work cannot wait to be implemented any longer.”

“ACCOs know what works for our children and families, they have been ready and waiting to take the reins from mainstream services through genuine partnership. With the release of this framework, there is no longer any excuse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to continue bearing the consequences of systems that don’t serve them.”

Members of the Allies for Children network have already started this work, transitioning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their care to ACCOs.

Our Family Matters Report 2025 shows more than half of the approximately 23,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care are placed with non-Indigenous mainstream organisations. That is the gap the Framework is designed to close.

Access the Sector Transformation Principles Framework here.

Social Media Restrictions and Our Young People

First Nations News reported this week on warnings that Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions risk widening gaps for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, particularly in regional and remote communities.

Research by the First Nations Digital Inclusion Advisory Group has set out how the digital gap hits remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities hardest. Access to online services, information and community is central to Closing the Gap Target 17, which aims for equal levels of digital inclusion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by 2026.

Online safety for our children matters. So does their connection to culture, kin and community. Getting this right means investing in community-led supports alongside any restriction.

SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle told the National Indigenous Times that taking social media away cannot be the end of the story.

“Removing access to social media cannot be the end of the conversation.”

“For many of our young people, particularly in regional and remote communities, these platforms have been an important way to stay connected, share pride in culture, and express their voice and talents.”

“Connection doesn’t happen by chance, and for our children, especially living out bush, it is critical to their health and wellbeing.”

“If governments want to see young people off screens and building healthy connections, they must invest in the places that make that possible — youth hubs, sporting clubs and community programs led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations that know their children and families best. We hope to see funding flow through for these grass roots initiatives.”

Supporting ACCOs to access the Building Early Education Fund (BEEF)

First Nations News reported this week that ACCOs can now complete a Request for Support form for the Building Early Education Fund – ACCO Capital Grant and Small-Scale Capital Grant rounds.

Our role is to help ACCOs prepare business cases to access the grants, and to advise the Department of Education on the organisations it should invite to apply. SNAICC is not the funder. The Department makes all funding decisions.

The ACCO Capital Grant stream provides at least $20 million in capital funding for new or expanded early childhood education and care services led by ACCOs. It is invitation only, with eligible ACCOs identified through consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners and peak bodies.

ACCO services are where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thrive. As Catherine told the National Indigenous Times last year,

“ACCO services see better engagement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families because they provide holistic, innovative supports that meet the needs of local communities.”

The Building Early Education Fund is a chance to close longstanding gaps in access, including the childcare deserts that exist in towns and cities as well as rural and remote areas.

ACCOs can email policy@snaicc.org.au at any time. To be considered for the Small Scale Capital Grant stream, which closes on 29 May 2026, we ask that Requests for Support come to us by 24 April 2026.

This work is part of our broader push for a dedicated funding model for ACCO early years services, set out in our 2026–27 Pre-Budget Submission to the Australian Government.