SNAICC has undertaken consultations to inform the development of the successor plan for the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children.
This plan aims to substantively improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, to urgently counter increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering out-of-home care. Many of these children are being permanently placed away from their family, often with non-Indigenous carers, and are not being reunified with family.
A consultation guide details the process, thinking and background that informs the co-design model.
A co-design process
Community participation and leadership must be central to the plan’s development, recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges are the primary means to achieve structural change.
The voices, experiences and insights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, children, communities, and community-controlled services are to be reflected through a dedicated focus and targeted strategies.
A strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance structure is planned to improve oversight and ensure transparency in meeting the plan’s agreed outcomes.
The plan must focus governments’, services’ and communities’ efforts to achieve the target to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45% by 2031. (National Agreement on Closing the Gap)
Significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community wisdom and insights have already been gathered through recent co-design processes and inquiries.
Targeted consultations took place in March–April 2021 to focus in on key themes and questions.
While SNAICC is leading consultations to ensure community voices are central to the plan’s development, ultimately governments have the responsibility to create a plan that hears and responds to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and implements the changes that we know are needed to improve outcomes for our children.
SNAICC will be working to hold governments to account for their commitments and to ensure that the plan supports our children to thrive in connection with family, community and culture.
