Joint Allyship to Change the Trajectory on Target 12 Close the Gap
26 March 2026
The futures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care are at the centre of a united allyship for change at Parliament House today to change the trajectory of Target 12 and reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in care.
With just five years remaining to meet Australia’s Closing the Gap targets, Allies for Children and the First Nations NGO Alliance, in partnership with SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, are demonstrating that reform is not only urgent, it is already underway.
Progress on Closing the Gap Target 12 has stalled nationally, with outcomes worsening in some jurisdictions.
Target 12 of Closing the Gap has the goal of reducing the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent by 2031.
Today, there are approximately 23,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children currently living in out-of-home care, and First Nations children are 10 times more likely to be in care than non-Indigenous children.
More than half of these children are placed with non-Indigenous mainstream organisations despite evidence showing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children see better outcomes when connected to family, kin and community.
“The Allies for Children are not waiting for Government to take the lead to address the overrepresentation of our children in OOHC. It’s bold, it’s courageous and it’s necessary to see Target 12 achieved. We need more organisations to do the right thing by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in their care and start the journey to transition, that’s why we have launched our Transformation Principles Framework, to help drive structural change. To be truly transformative and change-making, this transition needs to be effective and sustainable. This means supporting ACCOs with capacity-building and workforce development, aligning with Closing the Gap Priority Reforms,”
Transition involves the staged transfer of responsibility, resources and decision-making to Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), enabling more children to be safely supported by community.
Together, Allies for Children represent around 15 per cent of child and family services nationally and are collectively responsible for the care of approximately 1,900 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
As a collective, and in partnership with ACCOs, they are working together to return children to family, kin and community and strengthen connection to culture. This includes shifting resources and responsibility from mainstream services to ACCOs, so they can better support their communities.
This is a shared, national effort — one voice made up of many — grounded in First Nations leadership and focused on practical, system-level change.
The event also calls on other mainstream organisations delivering out-of-home care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to join the movement and make commitments that contribute to achieving Target 12.
The Allies for Children partnership works alongside the First Nations NGO Alliance and SNAICC to drive reform by:
Helping children return safely to their families and kin
Supporting transitions and enhancing support of ACCOs
Strengthening children’s connection to family, culture, community and Country
Committing leadership, resources and operational change within mainstream systems
Today, SNAICC – National Voice for our Children also release their Transformation Principles to support mainstream organisations to shift child protection services to ACCOs, strengthen community-controlled capacity, and align systems with Closing the Gap commitments.
This is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-informed resource that SNAICC is providing to the sector with encouragement to start the journey.
“Australia is at a critical juncture when it comes to giving our First Nations children a better future. Having the courage to challenge systemic barriers and transferring resources and custodianship back to ACCOs is how organisations can create lasting change for children, families and generations to come”
- Act for Kids CEO, Dr Katrina Lines.
Visit the SNAICC website for more information and resources.