Right now, across Australia, thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are growing up in systems designed to protect them, but not prepare them.

They leave care without the same safety nets most young people rely on. No stable support. No consistent guidance. No ongoing connection to culture or community.

And then we ask why the cycle continues.

But it does not have to.

We already know what works. Programs like Bringing Up Aboriginal Babies at Home and Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Corporation's early intervention program show that when communities lead, outcomes change.

What is missing is scale, continuity, and commitment across the life course.

SO THIS IS THE ASK...

We are calling for a community led pilot of a life course model from birth through to early adulthood, designed and governed by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. A model that builds connection, capability, and cultural strength before crisis occurs.

YOU can be a part of this.

Add your voice to our petition to  support the pilot and share it with your community.

Locally, it will be pitched to Brisbane, Logan, and Moreton Bay councils through early intervention and community wellbeing funding streams.

At state level, it aligns with Queensland Child Safety prevention and early intervention priorities.

And Nationally, it aligns with Closing the Gap and Indigenous led reform frameworks (Productivity Commission, 2020; SNAICC, 2023).

Advocate for funding that prioritises prevention, not just intervention. Stand behind the principle of:

"Nothing about us without us."

First Nations child protection must shift from removal to preparation, from surveillance to support, and from control to self determination.

True protection is not removing children from families, it is removing the barriers that stop families from thriving.