Family Matters National Week of Action: Our Mobs Matter is 9-15 May 2021.
Image: Mother and daughter sitting on a couch. The daughter is on the left wearing a striped shirt and the mother is on the right wearing an orange t-shirt.
It is a distressing reality that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are nearly 10 times more likely to be living in out-of-home care than non-indigenous children. This means families are separated, facing further intergenerational trauma and the loss of cultural connection.
We are committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal organisations and community to strengthen families so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people can grow up safe and cared for with family, in community and culture.
We are committed to the Family Matters National campaign and what it is seeking to achieve. It is an important call for us all to work towards eliminating the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 2040.
The theme this year is ‘Our Mobs Matter’ and the Life Without Barriers team will actively participate in our own yarning circles led by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, about how we can reverse these distressing trends. We also encourage everyone to register with Family Matters Week of Action for their events including a series of important webinars.
Importantly, we will continue working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations, community, Elders and emerging leaders to look for ways that we can support efforts to keep families together for future generations.
Through our Strategy 2025, we will be actively participating in measures we can take to increase the number of children who can remain safely with families, with particular attention to First Nations children.
Image: Black and white image of an Aboriginal family close up. The words Family Matters National Week of Action: Our Mobs Matter is written in orange with 9-15 may register for online events underneath in white. There is also the family matters logo and #ourmobsmatter in the bottom corner.