Advocacy
Submissions
Using evidence and the collective experience of its members, the Children in Care Collective contributes to developing policy and practice improvements related to its purpose.
The Collective seeks to influence policy and practice improvements by sharing its collective experience and wisdom with decision-makers and key stakeholders. One way of creating this kind of impact is by contributing to discussion papers and reports when those papers are published opportunities arise. The submissions made by the Collective are listed below, with links to its more recent work.
June 2023
Australian Human Rights Commission
Read the Submission to the inquiry by the National Children’s Commissioner into opportunities for reform of youth justice and related systems across Australia.
December 2022
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
Read the Submission on a proposed code of practice for designated out-of-home care service agencies and adoption service providers.
October 2022
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
August 2022
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
Read the Submission to the review of the first five years’ operation of Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme.
Read the Submission to the statutory review of the Children’s Guardian Act 2019, focusing on the effectiveness of the reportable conduct scheme and the role of the Deputy Children’s Guardian.
May 2022
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
Read the Submission on the legislative proposals developed in response to recommendations in the Family is Culture report.
December 2021
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
Read the Submission to the review of the Children’s Guardian’s accreditation and monitoring framework for statutory out-of-home care and adoption service providers.
November 2021
Queensland Parliament, Community Support and Services Committee
Read the Submission on the Queensland Criminal Law (Raising the Age of Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2021.
October 2021
NSW Department of Communities and Justice
July 2021
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings
Read the Submission on the draft Stronger Communities Legislation Amendment (Children) Bill 2021.
Read the Submission to the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings.
April 2021
National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
April 2021
Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility
March 2021
NSW Advocate for Children and Young People
January 2021
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
January 2021
Ombudsman Western Australia
October 2020
NSW Department of Education
Read the Submission to the National Office for Child Safety on the National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Final Development Consultation Paper.
Read the Submission to the Commissioner for Children and Young People Tasmania in favour of raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Tasmania.
Read the Submission to the review of the ongoing suitability of the objectives of the Advocate for Children and Young People Act 2014 and what might need to be changed to ensure the NSW Advocate can operate effectively.
Read the Submission to developing a mandatory child safe scheme and embedding the Child Safe Standards in legislation.
Read the Submission on draft Bill to establish a reportable conduct scheme in Western Australia.
Read the Draft Student Behaviour Strategy.
October 2020
National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse
Read the Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme and Independent Review.
March 2019
NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian
Read the Discussion Paper on Regulating Child Safe Organisations: Discussion paper for consultation.
December 2018
Tasmanian Government Discussion Paper Series
A Future Program for Family Based Care, Out of Home Care Foundations Project. Read More about the Project Discussion Paper Series...
Campaign Support
The Collective advocates for legislative and policy change where the rights and interests of children and young people in care with complex needs will be served by such changes. The Collective campaigns that the Collective supports are listed below.
National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People
The Children in Care Collective welcomes the establishment by the Prime Minister of a new position of National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People.
The appointment of a National Commissioner to champion the safety and rights of children, with legislated powers to investigate and make recommendations, is a ground-breaking commitment by the Federal Government.
The Collective agrees with SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle that similarly independent and empowered roles should be established in every jurisdiction in Australia to provide a national system of oversight of policies and systems affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Effective collaboration and coordination both between and within governments would create a platform for tackling the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care and youth detention and ensuring children grow up safe and connected to family and cultural identity.
Extending Support for Young People Leaving Care
In November 2019, the Collective signed up to support the NSW Home Stretch call to action.
The Home Stretch is a national campaign backed by many organisations who believe the out-of- home care system should support young people until they are 21 years old, rather than ending formal care arrangements at the age of 18 years. The Collective fully endorses this position.
By 2023, all jurisdictions in Australia have committed to some form of extended care until at least the age of 21 years but there are wide variations in the programs and none has yet been evaluated to assess their effectiveness. There are limitations to the ‘Your Choice, Your Future’ policy adopted in New South Wales and the NSW Home Stretch campaign continues to advocate for improvements.
The Collective continues to work to improve the planning and support for young people transitioning to independence in all Australian jurisdictions.
Raise the Age of Criminal Responsibility
The Children in Care Collective supports the call on the Australian Council of Attorneys-General by the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners and Guardians (ANZCCG) to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years of age to the internationally recognised standard of 14 years. Read More...
The Children in Care Collective has made representations to the NSW Attorney-General supporting a decision in 2021 to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Australia from 10 years to 14 years. Read More...
The Children in Care Collective made a submission to the Queensland Parliament, Community Support and Services Committee on the Criminal Law (Raising the Age of Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2021. Read More...
The Children in Care made a submission to the Commissioner for Children and Young People Tasmania on raising the age of criminal responsibility. Read More...
Proposed Increase in the Cost to Students of Social Work Degrees
Following representations to individual government ministers, in September 2020 the Children in Care Collective made a submission to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee which reviewed the government’s Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020. The Collective’s particular concern was the proposed increase in student contributions to the cost of social work degrees. The consultations on the Job-Ready Graduates legislation resulted in the Government announcing that it proposed creating ‘the disciplines of Professional Pathway Psychology and Professional Pathway Social Work’ and that social work studies would be moved to a lower tier of fees.
Read the Submission to the Senate Enquiry.
Establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament
The Children in Care Collective supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart in its entirety and embraces its invitation for all Australians to join in creating a future that recognises and celebrates the strength and wisdom of the First Peoples of this country.
We support the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution. A Voice to Parliament is a structural reform that will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to have a greater say and leadership in the design, development and implementation of the laws, policies and programs that impact their lives. We believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are best placed to advise on ways to improve self-determination and outcomes.