National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children:

key learningsBrian Babington

Chief Executive Officer, Families AustraliaCoordinator, Coalition of Organisations Committed to

the Safety and Wellbeing of Australia’s ChildrenSSPA Conference, 21 September 2012

Four focus areas:The work of Families AustraliaThe National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children

Role of NGO sector & NGO Coalition on National Framework

Reflections of possible relevance

Aims

a national, member-based, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation which strives to improve the wellbeing of all Australian families by initiating, inspiring, informing and influencing national public policy debates.

works to promote a national policy environment in which the needs and interests of families, especially the most vulnerable and marginalised, are heard and addressed.

Families Australia

Forgotten Australians

National Families Week10 years: 1 million participants

Grandparenting

Work and family

Mental health and families

Foster care

Substance abuse

Workplace relations

National children’s commissioner

Disability

Policy and community engageme

nt

Protecting children

Medicare & Centrelink

Families of offenders

Siblings

National Compact

Child payments

Australian Community Children’s Services Grandparents Australia Playgroup Australia Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander

Child Care Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia Mind Australia Australian Foster Care Association CREATE Foundation UnitingCare Australia

Families Australia Board

First ever national roadmapResponse to stubbornly high rates of abuse

National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020

Trends in brief

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-110

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

Substantiations of notificationsChildren on care/protection ordersChildren in OOHC

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

In 2010-11: Indigenous children are 7.5 times as likely to

be the subject of substantiations of abuse/neglect as non-Indigenous children

June 2011: Rate of Indigenous children on care and

protection orders is 9.5 times the rate for non-Indigenous children

Rate of Indigenous children in out-of-home care is almost 10 times the rate for non-Indigenous children

X 7.5

X 9.5

X 10

Some causal pathways 13% children live in households where an adult regularly drunk (Dawe et al, 2008)

In over one-third of child protection case files, 2 or more DV incidents recorded in prior year

In over 50% of child protection case files, parental alcohol abuse is recorded (Dept Child Safety Qld 2008)

20+ years of advocacy 2007 Federal election: ALP seeking ideas

Coalition of Organisations Committed to the Safety and Wellbeing of Australia’s Children: 100+ national level NGOs as united front

Genesis

Some Coalition members

In absence of overarching national legislation, get Commonwealth deeply into field of protecting children

Build NGO voice and, with Commonwealth, support States to improve their performance

Demonstrate how NGOs co-design social policy

Aims

Framework negotiated by Governments and NGO Coalition

A paradigm shift on how society values/regards children

Vision: Australia’s children grow up safe and well

National Framework established 2009

Uses public health model: prevention and integrated service delivery

National Framework

Underpinning concepts

More attention on early intervention and targeted family support services

Greater coordination between universal, secondary and tertiary/statutory services

75 actions under 12 national priorities

National standards out-of-home care National research agenda National Children’s Commissioner Development of model for Common

Approach to Assessment, Referral and Support

Integrated service delivery trials Improving data and performance

measures

Key achievements to date

Promoting greater collaboration between adult and child related services

Helping to overcome siloed responses and have multiple service entry points

Trial in 11 sites Encouraging results on information sharing and trust building

Building capacity, building bridges

Second three year action plan adopted last month; negotiated between NGO Coalition, States and Commonwealth.

Builds on first plan including BCBB, CAARS, & trialling place-based pooled funding for working with households with complex needs

Second action plan

Explore new priorities including in early childhood (identify communities where children at risk and review supports through place-based approaches), disability, family violence, engagement with business, media, community

Second action plan (cont’d)

Deliver national priorities including Closing the Gap (eg enhance application of Aboriginal Child Placement Principle), identify carer barriers, share practice on trauma care

Second action plan (cont’d)

Clear aimsPolitical opportunity environment

Issues associationConcept saliency

Enablers

Keeping issue top of mindGetting substantive reductions in rates of abuse/neglect

Applying sufficient resourcesMaking it everyone’s business

What remain our key challenges?

Robust NGO/government partnership important

One size doesn’t fit all; context is everything

NGO unity essential; sense of common purpose helps to park narrow agendas

Passion for change balanced with recognition of playing a long game – changing attitudes and behaviours

Some reflections

A number of ‘firsts’ Tripartite model in policy co-design Intra-NGO collaboration has been high

Required all to shift perspectives Yet, outcomes for children to be seen If first action plan was essential scene-setting, expect to see substantive improvements from the second plan.

To conclude

www.familiesaustralia.org.aubrian.babington@familiesaustralia.org.au

7 National Circuit, Barton, ACTPh +61 2 6273 4885