04/03/2023

Aboriginal children and young people will have their voices, aspirations and priorities privileged by an independent peak body in South Australia, thanks to a $3.2 million investment from the State Government.

This investment follows the report of SNAICC – the national Peak Body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people – which was engaged by the government to support a community-led process to identify a preferred model for the peak body in South Australia.

South Australian Aboriginal communities and leaders have long advocated for the establishment of a peak in South Australia.

The peak body will be responsible for:

· Privileging the voices and agency of children and young people, and maintaining a clear focus on protecting and promoting safety and wellbeing

· Partnering with government to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in the child protection system, including in care

· Building the capacity of the Aboriginal community-controlled sector to provide services to Aboriginal children, young people and families.

The peak body will partner with government to reduce the over representation of Aboriginal children and young people across the child protection system, including those in care.

The State Government’s commitment to establish a peak body for Aboriginal children and young people is included in the South Australian implementation plan to support the achievement of Target 12 of Closing the Gap – which seeks to reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care by 45% by 2031.

Read SNAICC’s Development of options for a South Australian Aboriginal Children and Families Peak Body: Final Report.