Our strategy

Too many children miss out on strong starts because of poverty, disaster, discrimination or systems that don’t work for them.

We work alongside families, schools and communities facing shared challenges to strengthen early development, wellbeing and connection, and to ensure children’s voices shape the systems designed to help them.

If we get this right:

• young children and their families with experiences of marginalisation, exclusion or vulnerability will be supported early to grow well and flourish
• school-aged children and families with the greatest support needs will get what they need to thrive together
• children and young people in disaster-affected regions will have their voices and views heard and acted on
• migrant and refugee children and young people will feel heard and seen as individuals in their own right, and experience better outcomes.

For children and young people with experiences of domestic and family violence, being seen and heard as individuals in their own right can be life-changing.

Our work in domestic and family violence centres children’s safety, recovery and long‑term wellbeing, while recognising the vital role of protective caregivers. We deliver child‑centred prevention, early intervention and crisis responses, and advocate for systems that understand and respond to children’s experiences from the very first moment.

If we get this right:

• more children will meet age‑appropriate milestones and feel emotionally and physically safe
• adolescents using violence will receive earlier, more effective support
• women will have stronger pathways to safety, stability and healing
• governments will invest more in support and recovery for children with experiences of violence.

Punitive, ‘tough on crime’ youth justice doesn’t make communities safer – it entrenches harm and keeps children trapped in systems that fail them.

We need a different approach in youth justice. A rights-respecting approach. Our work in youth justice focuses on listening to children’s stories, unpacking the root causes behind offending, and supporting pathways forward through education, connection and opportunity. Because when kids feel supported, connected and empowered, they can rewrite their future – and that’s worth fighting for.

If we get this right:

• robust early intervention and diversion supports for young people, families and communities mean fewer young people will enter justice systems
• more young people will stay connected to school, culture and family — and fewer will reoffend
• protective factors will become stronger and more consistent
• more children and young people in youth justice systems will have their rights upheld and respected
• the Commonwealth will take greater national leadership on youth justice, including potentially developing enforceable national standards.