This year marks CREATE’s 25th birthday!
In honour of our birthday, we would like to thank every child and young person who has connected with CREATE over the years. Our 25-year milestone celebration is dedicated to YOU and what we have achieved together.
CREATE’s advocacy has always been child and young person-led and we work in partnership with you to ensure your voices are heard and that your rights are upheld.
We serve you and will continue working to make a positive difference in the lives of children and young people with a care experience.
Here are some of our proudest achievements over the years
clubCREATE, a free club and place of belonging
In our first year, 247 children and young people joined clubCREATE. As of June, 2024 membership has grown to 29,697 young people across Australia!
clubCREATE is an exclusive club for children and young people aged 0 to 25 who are in care or have a care experience. It’s free to join and members get:
- A Welcome Pack
- A birthday message each year celebrating your special day
- clubCREATE mags full of stories, fun activities and comps with great prizes up for grabs
- Invitations to Connection Events like Easter and Christmas parties to have fun and meet other clubCREATE members
- Access to CREATE’s empowerment programs that prepare young people for the transition to independence and help young people have a say about being in care
- Information about participating in our surveys and consultations to change the care system for the better.
Connection through the clubCREATE magazines
In 2000, we launched the clubCREATE magazine. This much-loved magazine has released 150 editions since!
In the last Financial Year alone, CREATE distributed 88, 876 copies of our clubCREATE magazines to children and young people in care.
Youth Advisory Groups to give young people a say
In 2008, CREATE developed ‘Youth Advisory Groups’ also known as YAGs, to be delivered across Australia. YAGs give young people a regular opportunity to have their say on issues that directly affect them.
In the last Financial Year, CREATE held 109 YAGs across the country where 712 young people attended. Over a quarter of young people who came to YAGs were First Nations young peoples.
Today, what young people say at YAGs directly informs CREATE’s advocacy, shaping resources, programs and policy developments that drive positive change for children and young people with a care experience.
CREATE Your Future Grants to help with the transition from care
Since it was introduced in 2009, the CREATE Your Future Grant scheme has provided well over $300,000 worth of grants to support young people transitioning from care to adulthood.
Fast forward to 2024 and CREATE offered two types of CREATE Your Future grants this year for Education and IT.
One grant was used to purchase a vlogging camera to assist with a young person’s Bachelor in Film and Journalism, one grant was used for partial payment towards schooling fees, and the last grant went towards a carpentry course.
CREATE would like to thank our sponsors, State Trustee Victoria and Territory Families in the Northern Territory who supplemented CREATE’s donation for the 2024 CREATE Your Future Grant Scheme.
If you would like to become a sponsor for next year’s CREATE Your Future Grant Scheme, please get in touch with us at create@create.org.au. These grants make a huge positive impact in young people’s lives.
Changing the care system
CREATE has contributed to many significant improvements to the care system, including;
- The development of a Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care in each State and Territory.
- The introduction of transition from care and post care services and legislation in each State and Territory.
- The establishment of a National Children’s Commissioner.
- The development of National Standards for Out-of-Home Care (2009).
- Accreditation of service providers in Out-of-Home care.
- In 2013, CREATE’s National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) was reviewed and replaced by a biennial international conference for children and young people with a care experience to allow more to attend which is now called, Voices in Action.
- CREATE contributed to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with the CEO, National Policy and Advocacy Manager and Executive Director Research appearing as witnesses at various Royal Commission public hearings and two CREATE Young Consultants, Tash and Jono, providing their views directly to the Royal Commission as witnesses.
- In 2017 Youth Week, CREATE reinvigorated its Snap that Stigma campaign with the launch of a new video and position paper, gaining coverage by Channel Seven’s Morning Show. WA Young Consultant, Shannieka said, “I think it’s important to keep doing things like the Snap that Stigma video and promoting a positive image of young people in care. It’s important to be spreading hope out to young people and kids in care and to give them a voice if they don’t have one and to inspire and encourage them to speak up.”
- In 2014, CREATE unveiled the Sortli app in partnership with the Queensland Government to help care-leavers with their transition to adulthood. The app is free to download and as of 2024, the budgeting feature was the most popular part of the Sortli app.
- CREATE delivered the Best Practice Guide for Child Centred Complaints Handling.
- CREATE launched a podcast supporting young people to use their voice in 2020. The podcast has been renewed for a second season in 2024, led by CREATE’s South Australia team.
- Through our #MakeIt21 campaign, CREATE advocated for extending support for care-leavers from 18-21 which has now been achieved in all States and Territories.
- NSW CREATE Young Consultant, Lachlan shared his experiences in alternative care arrangements and following his testimony and that of other young people through the Advocate for Children and Young People’s report, NSW announced it will ban alternative care arrangements.
- CREATE delivered the Sibling Connection Practice Guide for South Australia in partnership with the Department for Child Protection (SA).
- CREATE, in partnership with Key Assets Australia hosted South Australia’s very first Leaving Care Expo.
- CREATE joined the #RaiseTheAge campaign to support raising the age of criminal responsibility to a minimum of 14 years across all States and Territories.
Thank you
Thank you to every young person who has connected with CREATE over the years. If you would like to share your favourite memory with CREATE, drop it in the box below.
