Commonwealth, state and territory Community Services Ministers met in-person at Parliament House, Canberra on 31 January 2023.
Since the launch of Safe and Supported: the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031 (Safe and Supported) in December 2021, the Commonwealth, all state and territory governments, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group (Leadership Group) and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing (³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Coalition) have worked closely together to develop Safe and Supported’s first set of Action Plans.
Following final endorsement, Ministers and the Leadership Group were delighted to launch Safe and Supported: First Action Plan 2023-2026, and Safe and Supported: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan 2023-2026, which can be found at:
The Australian Government, state and territory governments, the Leadership Group and the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Coalition are working together through the Action Plans toward the achievement of Safe and Supported’s shared goal of making significant and sustained progress in reducing the rate of child abuse and neglect and its intergenerational impacts.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan outlines how all Australian governments will work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, and in consultation with the non-government sector, to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. It has been developed acknowledging the unique needs and strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan includes actions to improve investments in the community controlled sector, build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, strengthen accountability and oversight, and improve First Nations’ self-determination.
It is also a key mechanism for achieving the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Agreement on Closing the Gap (Closing the Gap) Target 12, to reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45% by 2031.
The First Action Plan looks to address the needs of all children who are experiencing disadvantage and/or who are vulnerable. This includes an emphasis on the four Priority Groups under Safe and Supported.
The First Action Plan includes actions to address the social determinants of child safety and wellbeing, improve lifetime outcomes for children and young people in and leaving out-of-home care, and ensuring effective and timely responses for parents and carers living with disability and children and young people with disability, and activities to build a more sustainable children and families services workforce.
Ministers wholeheartedly acknowledged the ongoing partnership with the Leadership Group, led by SNAICC – ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Voice for our Children, and their significant role in developing and endorsing the Action Plans. Ministers also reaffirmed their support for developing a strong Partnership Agreement for shared decision-making with the Leadership Group, which responds to Priority Reform One under the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Ministers also thanked the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing for its input and support of the Action Plans. Ministers reiterated the importance of continuing to work closely with the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Coalition and other non-government organisations to achieve Safe and Supported’s goals.
With the Action Plans now being launched, Ministers agreed to re-focus their Terms of Reference to support the collective effort needed to successfully implement the Action Plans.
