National Coalition

The National Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing (National Coalition) was established in 2007.

The National Coalition played a leading role in advocating for, negotiating, and now, helping to implement, the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. The National Coalition comprises more than 200 non-government community organisations that provide services to children, young people and families on the ground across Australia, as well as many key advocates and researchers in the areas of child protection and children’s wellbeing. The larger or peak organisations in the National Coalition, in turn, represent collectively many hundreds of not-for-profit community and welfare organisations around Australia.

At present, work is underway across the National Coalition to strengthen local community awareness and engagement on protecting children under the Child Aware Local Initiative.

Aims

• Promote the importance of the National Framework for the Protection of Australia’s Children within the NGO sector and the public.
• Work with State/Territory and Federal Governments and others to ensure the successful implementation of the first three year action plan under the Framework.
• Work to develop robust future three year action plans under the Framework, including on the basis of an evaluation of achievements in the first three year action plan.
• Provide high level strategic and expert input into the various consultative and decision-making forums established to implement the Framework.
• Enable the implementation phase to be informed by a wide range of appropriate perspectives (for example, service providers, academia and consumers).
• Maintain a capacity to undertake independent work in relation to the National Framework.

Objectives

• Full and active National Coalition participation in the various working groups and in the advisory group.
• Dissemination of information about the Framework to a wide range of NGOs, academics and other stakeholders.
• Growth in the number of National Coalition members, including an extension of coverage to sectors such as health, education and justice.
• Constructive and influential input into the implementation process

National Coalition Governance

The National Coalition is a non-legally incorporated entity. It has a Steering Group which comprises (alphabetically):

• Dr Brian Babington, Families Australia (Convenor, National Coalition Secretariat) (with Stella Conroy) (ACT)
• Professor Leah Bromfield, Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia (SA)
• Richard Cooke, National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) (NSW)
• Professor Daryl Higgins, Australian Catholic University (VIC)
• Natalie Lewis, member of the National Executive of SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children
• Annette Michaux, Parenting Research Centre (NSW)
• Andrew McCallum AM, Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies (ACWA) (NSW)
• Bev Orr OAM, Australian Foster Care Association (AFCA) (ACT)
• Tony Pietropiccolo AM, Centacare (WA)
• Tanya Raineri, CREATE (QLD)
• Simon Schrapel AM, Uniting Communities (SA)

Membership

As at 6 May 2018, the National Coalition membership stood at 207 organisations, consultants and academics. Membership list can be accessed here.

Please contact the Secretariat at Families Australia on 02 6273 4885 or brian.babington@familiesaustralia.org.au to enquire about joining the National Coalition.

Q & A about the National Framework, the National Coalition, and child abuse and neglect here.

National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 4^th action plan and national policy on child safety and wellbeing beyond 2020: Families Australia’s key recommendations here.