Proposed Plan of Action for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Aboriginal Communities (1996)
Overview
The Proposed Plan of Action for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Aboriginal Communities was a landmark SNAICC publication that placed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leadership at the centre of child protection reform.
Released in 1996, the report outlined a national framework for preventing child abuse and neglect through community-controlled, culturally grounded and prevention-focused approaches. The report was developed as the second stage of a national action planning process commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health under the auspices of the National Child Protection Council. Stage One involved a discussion paper prepared by SNAICC in 1993, with the subsequent action plan informed by consultation with Aboriginal communities, organisations and governments across Australia.
Over an eight-month period, consultations were held with Aboriginal communities and organisations across urban, rural and remote locations, including workshops in Boorloo/Perth, Rubibi/Broome, Garramilla/Darwin, Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Gimuy/Cairns, Meanjin/Brisbane, Tarntanya/Adelaide, Narrm/Melbourne and Warrane/Sydney. Participants included Aboriginal men, women, young people and Elders, alongside government and non-government representatives.
At the heart of the report was the recognition that child abuse and neglect could not be addressed through child protection responses alone. The report argued that prevention required addressing the broader historical, social and systemic factors affecting Aboriginal families, including dispossession, the impacts of colonisation, loss of culture and kinship connections, poverty, inadequate housing, racism and social exclusion.
The report highlighted the strength of Aboriginal child-rearing practices and the central role of extended family, kinship systems and Elders in supporting children. It emphasised that Aboriginal children are connected to and cared for by their broader community, with responsibility shared across families and kinship networks rather than resting solely with individual parents or carers.
A central finding was that responses to child abuse and neglect must recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ right to self-determination and community control. The report argued that services designed for Aboriginal children and families must be developed, delivered and governed by Aboriginal communities themselves.
Recommendations
The Plan proposed 18 recommendations across three areas:
Education and awareness
The report called for culturally appropriate community education programs to support families and communities to identify, prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. It recommended cultural awareness training for non-Aboriginal workers, parenting and support programs for carers, child protection education for children, and programs strengthening cultural identity and connection.
System reform and resources
The report recommended that Aboriginal communities control responses to child abuse and neglect, supported by appropriate government investment. It called for strengthened Aboriginal child and family organisations, crisis support services, Elders Councils, healing centres and a national Aboriginal children’s and family resource centre to support research, training and community capacity building.
Policy and self-determination
The report called on governments to recognise Aboriginal peoples’ right to self-determination in child protection and prevention policies, implement recommendations from major inquiries including the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, and strengthen family violence prevention programs.
Legacy and influence
Many of the principles outlined in the 1996 Plan have become central to contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child and family policy. The report’s focus on Aboriginal community control, early intervention, cultural connection, kinship care and prevention anticipated later reforms including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, Closing the Gap reforms and national child protection frameworks.
The report also contributed to SNAICC’s continuing advocacy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led approaches to child wellbeing. SNAICC’s later work, including Through Young Black Eyes, Family Matters and current national frameworks such as Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031, continue to advance many of the same principles: keeping children connected to family, culture and community, strengthening Aboriginal community-controlled organisations and shifting investment towards prevention and early support.
The report’s proposed structures, including national, state, regional and local Aboriginal child abuse prevention committees, were an early vision for shared decision-making and Aboriginal governance of child and family wellbeing systems. While many of the specific structures proposed were not implemented in the exact form recommended, the underlying principles remain central to contemporary reform efforts.
Today, the Proposed Plan of Action for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Aboriginal Communities can be seen as an important historical document that shows SNAICC’s longstanding leadership in advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s safety, wellbeing and right to grow up connected to family, culture and community.