The foundation of SNAICC can be traced back to the mid‑1970s, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Care Agencies began emerging across Australia to respond to the alarming rates at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were being removed from their families by state and welfare systems. These agencies formed as part of a broader push for community‑controlled child welfare and cultural authority over decisions affecting children.

In 1977, the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) was established under the leadership of Aunty Mollie Dyer, driven by community concern about the disproportionate removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and a belief that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities should steward their children’s care. Aunty Mollie Dyer had spoken about the need for an Aboriginal‑run child care agency at the first national adoption conference in 1976 and was influenced by learning from Indigenous programs in North America.

This growing momentum culminated in 1979 with the first Aboriginal Child Survival Seminar on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Attended by community leaders, the seminar brought together more than 200 delegates who called for a national peak body to coordinate advocacy, share knowledge and represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at the highest levels of policy and decision‑making.

In response, the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) was formally established in 1981, building on that 1979 proposal. In 1982, SNAICC electing its first National Executive in 1982 under the leadership of inaugural Chairperson Brian Butler, and from 1983 onwards received recurrent funding support from the Commonwealth, allowing it to expand its capacity to advocate nationally and support community‑controlled child care and family services.

Throughout the 1980s, SNAICC grew as a national voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, advocating for community control, participation in child protection decisions, and culturally appropriate policy and practice.

A key milestone was the establishment of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day in 1988, celebrated each year on 4 August. National Children’s Day was initiated by SNAICC to honour children’s strengths, culture, and importance while acknowledging the impact of past removal practices; the chosen date holds special meaning as a symbolic shared birthday for many children who were taken from their families and never knew their birth dates; the Stolen Generations.

In 1990, SNAICC, in partnership with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, released the report Aboriginal Child Poverty: Our Children are Our Future, which highlighted the connection between child poverty and child abuse and neglect, drawing national attention to systemic disadvantage affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

That same year, SNAICC began lobbying for a national inquiry into the policies and practices that had seen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children removed from their families and, in 1991, became the first national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation to call formally for such an inquiry into the Stolen Generations.

In 1991–92, SNAICC addressed family violence by producing Through Black Eyes: Family Violence Resource Handbook, a foundational practical resource to support families and communities in identifying, preventing and responding to family violence and child abuse.

In 1993, SNAICC released Aboriginal Child Welfare: Framework for a National Policy, advocating for national legislation and policy frameworks to support the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (ACPP) and ensure culturally appropriate child protection responses. This work formed part of the broader advocacy that contributed to the Australian Government establishing the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in 1995. The Inquiry’s report, Bringing Them Home, was released in 1997 with 54 recommendations and became a watershed moment in public and political awareness of the Stolen Generations.

At the 1997 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Survival Conference in Melbourne, SNAICC urged all states and territories to adopt and implement the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (ACPP) ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‑of‑home care remain connected to family, community and culture, a principle that continues to underpin culturally safe child welfare practice today.

By the late 1990s, SNAICC had expanded its membership base to include early childhood services such as Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services (MACS) as part of a broader effort to strengthen community‑controlled support services. This expansion enhanced SNAICC’s capacity to deliver practical support, resources and policy advocacy across child protection and early years sectors while continuing to champion culturally safe services nationwide.

In 2000, SNAICC prepared a national overview report on the operation of the 37 Commonwealth‑funded Multifunctional Aboriginal Children’s Services (MACS) for the Department of Family and Community Services, identifying service roles and functions and contributing to sector knowledge. SNAICC also engaged in international advocacy, representing the rights and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1998 and 2000, contributing to global conversations on Indigenous children’s rights that informed national policy efforts.

In 2001, SNAICC published Through Young Black Eyes (linked is the 2007 edition), a national resource to help communities prevent and respond to family violence, child abuse and neglect; this resource was later updated in multiple editions. State of Denial: The Neglect and Abuse of Indigenous Children in the Northern Territory was also produced in 2002–2003, highlighting child welfare concerns in the NT and prompting discussion and additional resourcing for the Territory’s child welfare system.

In 2003, SNAICC continued to influence national policy through events such as the Our Future Generations: National Indigenous Child Welfare and Development Seminar, convened for its 20th anniversary, and through its membership of the Federal Ministerial Council for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Family Violence Taskforce.

A major milestone came in 2004 with the establishment of the SNAICC Resource Service (SRS) funded by the Australian Government to develop and share culturally informed resources supporting services across early childhood, family support and child protection.

By 2006, SNAICC secured an agreement with the Australian Government for the National Indigenous Child Care Plan, designed to guide the future development of Indigenous child care services.

By SNAICC’s 25th anniversary in 2008, the SRS had grown substantially and attracted endorsements from major sector organisations for its work on service development, cultural respect and service access.

In the 2009 federal budget, the Australian Government announced funding for 35 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child and Family Centres (CFCs); initiatives SNAICC had long advocated for to support integrated family and early years services.

In 2010, SNAICC played a central role in the development and national adoption of the National Standards for Out-of-Home Care, setting a benchmark for consistent, culturally safe care and ensuring community involvement in decisions affecting children in state systems. SNAICC’s international profile also expanded with participation in United Nations forums in New York and Geneva, bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on children’s rights to the global stage.

The decade also saw the publishing of Journey to Big School, which guided approaches to family violence prevention, child safety and school transitions, and Whose Voice Counts?, which provided a framework for strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in child protection decision-making.

Under the Kids Matter: Early Childhood initiative, SNAICC produced culturally informed resources and training modules and, in 2012, celebrated the 25th anniversary of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day.

Expansion of the SNAICC Resource Service, national directories and targeted early-years initiatives provided practitioners with tools, training, and culturally grounded guidance. Mid-decade, SNAICC coordinated events such as Our Future Generations seminars, contributed major submissions including the Senate Inquiry into Out-of-Home Care, and established Family Matters in 2014, with the inaugural report published in 2016. Moving to Prevention further guided intensive family support services.

In 2016, SNAICC undertook a major transformation, registering under the CATSI Act and refreshing its name to SNAICC – National Voice for our Children. The 7th National Conference in 2017, themed Bring Them Home: Securing the Rights of Our Children, brought together over 1,100 delegates.

In 2018, SNAICC played a key role in the Closing the Gap Refresh, advocating for new targets and increased investment in early years services. As part of the Coalition of Peaks’ Joint Council, SNAICC helped set national priorities for child safety and wellbeing and supported the practical implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle. The decade closed with the 8th National Conference in 2019, which set a new record with 1,230 delegates.

Throughout the 2020s, SNAICC has continued to strengthen its national leadership and drive policy, sector and community reforms to protect the rights, safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

Building on its longstanding advocacy, SNAICC has played a central role in shaping major national frameworks, including the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Strategy and the successor to the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children. Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–31 was developed through extensive consultations that SNAICC helped lead. This framework centres shared decision-making between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and governments to reduce child abuse and neglect and advance National Agreement on Closing the Gap goals, especially Target 12 to reduce the over‑representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‑of‑home care.

SNAICC’s community‑focused work has continued through regular engagements with community‑controlled services across Australia, deepening understanding of sector challenges and amplifying community voices in national policy debates. Strong, practical initiatives such as the annual Family Matters reports exemplify the organisation’s dedication to lifting up community priorities and calling governments to account. These reports document systemic failures, share community‑led solutions, and advocate for culturally safe, preventative, and family‑strengthening approaches across child protection, early years and family support.

The decade also saw the establishment of innovative programs like the THRYVE Pilot Program (now Early Years Support), launched in 2021 to strengthen culturally strong early childhood and development services across jurisdictions. Early Years Support has achieved important milestones, with state‑wide intermediaries established in NSW, Western Australia and Victoria, and governance co‑designed with stakeholders to ensure culturally responsive and accessible supports to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Independent evaluation has found that the community‑controlled intermediary model contributes to improved service quality and stronger connections between services and communities.

In 2022 and beyond, SNAICC has supported sector development through gatherings, conferences, community forums and collaborative policy work. This included contributing to the Early Childhood Care and Development Sector Strengthening Plan and co‑designing a new peak body for Aboriginal children and families in South Australia, now operating as Wakwakurna Kanyini – For Aboriginal Children and Families.

Significant advocacy achievements carried into 2023 and early 2024, culminating in the Australian Government’s commitment to establish a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People; a longstanding goal of SNAICC. The commitment was formalised in February 2024, and in January 2025 Lil Gordon commenced as Acting National Commissioner, with Adjunct Professor Sue‑Anne Hunter later appointed as the first permanent National Commissioner.

In March 2025, SNAICC also expanded its national partnerships, including formal partnership agreements with the Department of Education and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation to improve education outcomes from early childhood through to higher education in culturally respectful ways. SNAICC also established a Youth Voice with the development of a Youth Advisory Group to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people directly shape policy and advocacy work. This initiative embeds youth perspectives across SNAICC’s national priorities and strengthens its commitment to empowering the next generation.

Across the decade, SNAICC’s work has continued to influence national policy, strengthen the community‑controlled sector and embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices at every level of decision‑making.