What is the Improving Multidisciplinary Responses Program?

The Improving Multidisciplinary Responses Program is a community-led initiative transforming how child and family services are experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. It is grounded in self-determination, cultural governance and local leadership, and recognises that when cultural authority and community priorities drive decision-making, services are more responsive, respectful and effective for families with multiple and complex needs.

The Improving Multidisciplinary Responses (IMR) Program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations in strengthening culturally safe, holistic and strengths-based approaches that aim to keep children strong in their family, culture, community and Country. The Program enhances locally designed child and family service responses, enabling communities to lead solutions that reflect local cultural knowledge and aspirations.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are disproportionately represented in child protection and out-of-home care systems. Target 12 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap commits governments to reduce over-representation by 45 per cent by 2031. The IMR Program is a key measure under Target 12, helping to build culturally grounded responses that support early intervention and prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families and communities. The IMR Program is also a priority action under Safe and Supported, which guides shared national efforts to strengthen families, prevent harm and create culturally safe systems of care for all children, with targeted action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

The IMR Program supports place-based, culturally grounded initiatives delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations in regional, remote and metropolitan areas. These initiatives are designed with and led by local communities, reflecting their unique cultural strengths, priorities and contexts. Programs funded through the IMR Program are tailored to address local needs, strengthen family support systems and improve service coordination in culturally safe ways.

The program has been developed in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peak bodies, advisory groups and representative organisations across all jurisdictions. Together, this partnership has shaped a shared decision-making framework that outlines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples influence the design, implementation and evaluation of the IMR Program.

Our Role

SNAICC is the official Community Partner of the Improving Multidisciplinary Responses Program.

Working alongside the 15 IMR-grantee Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations, SNAICC plays a central role in supporting program delivery and building long-term capability. Grounded in self-determination, cultural governance and community leadership, our role is to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing remain at the centre of service design, delivery and decision-making.

SNAICC provides tailored, place-based support that reflects the unique strengths, priorities and challenges of each community. This support is shaped through an online needs assessment and ongoing engagement with IMR teams, including regular online yarns, one-on-one support, in-person visits and Communities of Practice that create culturally safe spaces for peer connection, shared learning and collective problem-solving.

Our support focuses on strengthening organisational foundations and workforce capability, including governance and leadership development, staff support and professional development, recruitment and retention strategies, and project planning and management. SNAICC also works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations to strengthen community engagement, accountability and cultural governance, supporting mechanisms that elevate community voice and ownership.

We support Improving Multidisciplinary Responses Program sites to build strong data, learning and evaluation practices that respect data sovereignty and privacy, enable regular community feedback and support continuous improvement. This work embeds culturally grounded evaluation into program delivery and recognises the cultural load carried by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, prioritising safe and supportive environments for reflection, adaptation and growth.

Through ongoing partnership and engagement, SNAICC supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations to embed cultural authority, strengthen multidisciplinary practice and drive sustainable, community-led service models. We remain committed to walking alongside communities to improve outcomes for children and families and contribute to long-term systemic change, including progress toward Target 12 of Closing the Gap.