Strategic Forum: Report
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Strategic Forum: Report Old Parliament House, Canberra Wednesday 10 February 2016 Prepared by Fleur Smith Policy Officer, SNAICC [email protected] Table of Contents Overview & Key Outcomes .................................................................................................................................... 3 Welcome to Country ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Introduction, acknowledgements & purpose ................................................................................................. 3 The imperative for change .................................................................................................................................... 4 Building a Coalition for Change ........................................................................................................................... 5 Identifying priorities across Australia .............................................................................................................. 5 Australian Capital Territory ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 New South Wales .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Queensland ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 South Australia ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Victoria & Tasmania ............................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Western Australia ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 National Level Sector Discussions ................................................................................................................................... 8 Justice ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Evidence Base ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Child Protection & Family Support .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Health ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Campaign Strategic Priorities .............................................................................................................................. 9 Discussion and agreement on Family Matters Strategic Priorities ...................................................................... 9 Building a coalition for change ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Securing national commitment ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Supporting state & territory based strategies .......................................................................................................................... 10 Supporting and Empowering Communities .............................................................................................................................. 11 Establishing a monitoring and reporting framework ........................................................................................................... 11 Securing National Commitment ........................................................................................................................ 12 Family Matters governance structure, roles and responsibilities .................................................................... 12 Jurisdictional Working Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 12 National Champions Group & Family Matter Strategic Alliance ........................................................................ 13 Financial commitment to Family Matters .................................................................................................................. 13 Appendix A: Forum Attendees ........................................................................................................................... 14 Appendix B: Governance Structure & Roles & Responsibilities ............................................................. 16 Family Matters Roles & Responsibilities Matrix ......................................................................................... 17 2 Overview & Key Outcomes The Family Matters: kids safe in culture not in care Strategic Forum held on 10 February 2016 in Canberra was attended by 106 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous leaders from 73 organisations Australia-wide. For a full list of Forum attendees, refer to Appendix A. The intentions of the Forum were to engage potential partners in the Family matters initiative, agree to high level strategic directions for the campaign, increase the Family Matters presence across Australia by establishing Working Groups in every state and territory, and secure commitment to the campaign from a broad range of stakeholders. All aims and desired outcomes were met, with attendees confirming their support for the Family Matters policy priorities and strategic directions and committing to establishing Family Maters Working Groups in all jurisdictions represented at the Forum. Several forum participants offered their knowledge and expertise as members of the Family Matters Champions Group, which will be driving the Family Matters campaign. Many more organisations indicated their willingness to contribute to the campaign as members of a broader Strategic Alliance. Financial commitments to the campaign were also strong. In addition to the generous support already pledged by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation and KARI Aboriginal Resources, Inc., over $60,000 was committed to the Family Matters campaign by leaders present at the Forum. Welcome to Country Forum participants were welcomed to country by Ngambri-Ngunnawal elder, Aunty Matilda House. Introduction, acknowledgements & purpose Jodie Sizer welcomed forum participants and acknowledged sponsors and supporters of Family Matters and the Strategic Forum. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation Platinum Sponsor Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Platinum Sponsor KARI Aboriginal Resources, Inc. Gold Sponsor Uniting Care Wesley Country South Australia Bronze Sponsor PricewaterhouseCoopers Indigenous Consulting Pro bono facilitation Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House Sponsorship, Strategic Forum Jodie informed attendees of the aims and desired outcomes for the day: 1) To share the core principles and priorities of the Family Maters campaign with key stakeholders from across Australia 2) To explore priorities and strategies for change across Australia, and 3) To secure national commitment to Family Matters, including: • Establishing a framework for collaboration • Agreeing to high level strategic priorities, and • Securing ongoing financial support for this vital campaign 3 The imperative for change “The right of our children to their culture, along with other core human rights of children – to life, to family, to protection – are non-negotiable.“ Andrew Jackomos, Victorian Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, gave a moving speech on the cultural requirements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and the organisational culture of child protection and funded agencies. Commissioner Jackomos told Forum attendees: • That while Aboriginal children share the same rights as all other Australian children, often these rights are not fully realised in child protection systems. • In a 12 month period there was a 42% growth in the number of Aboriginal children in the Victorian child protection system. • Organisational attitudes are crucial to addressing this issue; without transparency, accountability and professionalism, the cultural rights of children will not be met. • There are many positive things happening in Victoria at the moment, including reinvigorated community advocacy and increasingly positive working relationships with Government, as well as significant work in the Department to bolster the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle. • Children’s rights are not discretionary and they are not debateable. They should not be