Statement of Commitment
May 2024
Addressing the over-representation of First Nations Children and Young People in the Child Protection System so they can thrive in culture and with kin
Despite the official end to government policies which authorised the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in 1969, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are taken from their families at rates now that exceed the Stolen Generations.
Across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are over-represented in the out-of home care and child protection systems at alarming rates. The dominant systems and services which support children removed from their families now, are largely non-Indigenous. First Nations children have inherent rights to experience their childhood and youth with knowledge, understanding and connection to their culture, community, kin and country. Allies for Children acknowledges that as Non-Indigenous organisations, we are not best placed to enable that connection. We also believe the removal of children into a system not designed by the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for their children, creates long term impacts further compounding harm and trauma we have openly acknowledged as a nation since the National Apology.
Allies for Children founding partners commit to the rights and future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people to grow and thrive in culture and with kin. Our commitment is in three central pillars:
MODEL – We model change within our own organisations which are guided by two-way cultural governance in our partnership with the First Nations NGO Alliance.
INFLUENCE – We share our learnings with sector organisations and extend our partnership to enable other organisations to contribute to addressing the over-representation of First Nations children in care.
ADVOCACY – We partner and invest in advocacy activities at federal and state jurisdictional level, with peaks, community controlled organisations and community to prevent the entry of First Nations children and families into the child protection system and to support new services and approaches designed and led by First Nations communities.