Family Matters – Strong communities. Strong culture. Stronger children. is Australia’s national campaign to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people grow up safe and cared for in family, community and culture. Family Matters aims to eliminate the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care within a generation, by 2040.
Family Matters reports focus on what governments are doing to turn the tide on over-representation and the outcomes for children. They also highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions and call on governments to support and invest in the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to lead on child wellbeing, development and safety responses for our children.
The reports contribute to efforts to change the story by explaining the extent of the challenges, reporting on progress towards implementing evidence-informed solutions, and profiling promising policy and practice initiatives.
This year’s Family Matters report is the first to be published following the new National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which was entered into in July 2020. The National Agreement commits governments to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the country; to invest in our community-controlled services; to build the cultural competence of mainstream services; and to develop data and monitor outcomes in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Importantly, the National Agreement commits to achieving a target of reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander overrepresentation in out-of-home care by 45% by 2031, a target well-aligned to the Family Matters campaign call to eliminate over-representation by 2040.
Read other Family Matters Reports below:
