CREATE’s monthly Advocacy Wrap Ups provide regular updates on our latest advocacy for improving the lives of children and young people with an out-of-home care experience.
Our Wrap Ups include:
- CREATE’s latest submissions on issues including youth justice, residential care, housing and more.
- Media releases and statements about current issues affecting children and young people in care.
- Relevant news and research in the sector so you can catch up on what has happened over the last month.
- A monthly advocacy focus. This month it’s the Home Stretch Symposium.
- Consultation opportunities for children and young people to ensure that their lived experiences and voices are heard in decision-making about the out-of-home care system in Australia.
Please share our Wrap Ups far and wide! If you have any feedback, email marketing@create.org.au
May advocacy focus: Young people leading
Home Stretch Symposium 2025
In May, Melbourne was buzzing with passion and powerful conversations as sector leaders, young people, and advocates from around the country gathered for the annual Home Stretch Symposium, hosted by Anglicare and the Home Stretch campaign, with CREATE Foundation invited as a vital advocacy partner to ensure that child voice and lived experience at the centre of the conference and conversation.
Over two days, the Symposium created a space to reflect on the progress of care reform, spotlight lived experience, and commit to the work still ahead. WA Young Consultant, Kat was awarded with the inaugural CREATE X Home Stretch Youth Advocacy Award at the Symposium. Congratulations, Kat on getting this much-deserved recognition of your work.
CREATE updates
Youth mental health in focus. Views and perspectives captured in CREATE’s Youth Advisory Groups and consultations from around Australia have informed CREATE’s submission on Orygen Summary of Consortium Early Advice. Read our submission here.
Read more
You have told us that mental health and wellbeing is a huge priority, and access to timely support, diagnosis and continuing care and treatment is so important to address trauma experienced before living and care, and the challenges that come up during child protection and out-of-home care involvement.
At the recent Home Stretch Symposium, Professor Pat McGorry spoke about the work at Orygen, the impact of the research led nationally, and what that means for children and young people in care. He talked about how the lived experience and working with young people collaboratively was central to the research approach – and vital to make a change. Some of the CREATE team were fortunate to catch Pat briefly after his session.
CREATE will continue to support and share your insights as part of mental health service system reform for young people.
Picture of CREATE’s CEO, Imogen Edeson with Executive Director Orygen, Professor Pat McGorry and CREATE’s National Advocacy Director, Jen Hyatt.
Improving Outcomes & Experiences for At-Risk Children | 6-7 August | Sydney & Online. This 2-day conference underscores the power of interagency collaboration as the cornerstone of effective early intervention and proactive prevention strategies for at-risk children. Designed for practitioners and those working in service delivery, this conference offers vital insights into interagency collaboration, early intervention, and culturally safe, trauma-informed practices.
Learn more and register here. Register by Friday, 13 June and save with the early bird sale. You can also save $200 with the code CREATE.
CREATE updates
In May, the Queensland Government announced a Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s child safety system. This Inquiry could reset the system and catalyse powerful changes for Queensland… But only if children and young people are listened to.
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Over the course of the Inquiry, CREATE will support young people to share what it’s like to grow up in care in Queensland and what needs to change. More on what this will look like soon.
Our CEO will be writing to the Commissioner to share some of what young people have told us so far, including how the system must do better at keeping kids safe, providing stability, and supporting young people to thrive after care.
We believe that young people from all across Queensland need to be heard in this Inquiry and CREATE knows from experience that there’s always ways to meaningfully engage younger children so that their voices are heard too.
CREATE’s advocacy and work supporting youth participation has already influenced major reforms — from extending care to age 21, to embedding young people’s voices in decision-making. We look forward to supporting young Queenslanders to have their voices heard in the Commission of Inquiry commencing 1 July.
Three CREATE Young consultants presented at the Queensland Foster and Kinship Care Conference which was attended by over 500 carers. They provided insights and practical advice to carers for supporting young people with their transition from care to adulthood. Pictured are Ray and Georgie with the certificates they were given for sharing their lived experience expertise.
News
Now available – Guidelines and Self-Assessment Tool for implementing the Universal Principle and Child Safe Standards in Queensland. Find the resources here.
Registrations are now open for the SNAICC National Conference. The theme for this year’s event, Our Culture. Keep it Strong. We Belong emphasises the resilience and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
Taking place from 7 – 9 October 2025 at the Brisbane Convention & Entertainment Centre in Meanjin/Brisbane, the conference will bring together over 2,000 delegates. Find out more and register here.
Opportunities
Share your feedback on the Office of the Public Guardian’s website. Have your say via the red feedback button on the OPG homepage here.
CREATE updates
Budget Response – Is the Tasmanian government giving children in care the best chance of a bright future? The Tasmanian government has taken some forward steps, however has diluted its commitments and the opportunity for transformative improvements and change. Read CREATE’s Budget Response in full here.
CREATE updates
Budget Response – Is the Victorian Government doing enough for young people in care? CREATE Foundation is concerned about the tensions and imbalance in the 2025 Victorian Budget, the missed opportunities, and the likelihood of inconsistency of care and continuing poor outcomes for children involved with child protection. Read CREATE’s Budget Response in full here or click the image below for a summary.
Register now for the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare’s inaugural Education Forum| 25 June| Melbourne. Opening Doors, Changing Lives: Celebrating the power of education for care-experienced children and young people will bring together a range of dynamic speakers with professional and lived experience expertise, highlighting the amazing work being done in Victoria and abroad to support care-experienced young people to thrive in their education. CREATE will be hosting a stall at the Forum.
CREATE updates
In May, CREATE began its consultation partnership with the University of Adelaide’s Better Start project, which asks whether current health systems are meeting the needs of 45,000+ children in out-of-home care.
9 young people came together for a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) to explore this question. They started with ‘blue sky thinking,’ imagining an ideal health system that truly supports young people. Then, they navigated the ‘white water rapids,’ identifying key challenges and barriers to meaningful reform.
Read some of what they had to say below:
- “Young people should help design services, not just be asked for feedback after.”
- “Healthcare needs to be about the whole person, not just fixing problems.”
- “We need spaces that feel welcoming, not clinical and cold.”
CREATE updates
CREATE joined the first meeting of the revitalised NT Home Stretch Committee. The Committee looks at what is and isn’t working within the Home Stretch Project in the NT and how to work together to increase support for care leavers.
One of the topics the group discussed was the disconnect between the entitlements available for young people leaving care, young people’s knowledge of the entitlements, and how to access them. The Department of Children and Families is trialling new digital resources that aim to increase awareness of the support available to NT care leavers.
CREATE updates
CREATE in WA met the Minister for Child Protection, the Hon Jessica Stojkovski and discussed important issues for care leavers. We walked the Minister through CREATE’s work in helping children and young people in care to be heard, alongside Young Consultant, Charlie who shared her experience of transitioning from care to independence. Thank you, Minister Stojkovski for your time. We look forward to further discussions about improving transition supports for young Western Australians.
Opportunities
Are you 14-25 with a care experience? RSVP to CREATE’s Roundtable in-person (Perth) or online on 7 July. Young people receive a $50 voucher for their attendance. Email wa@create.org.au to RSVP.
News
New child protection legislation introduced in New South Wales is being heralded as a national benchmark, with strong relevance for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services committed to child safety, cultural connection and family wellbeing. Read the article here.
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Thank you for reading our Advocacy Wrap Up. To provide feedback, please email marketing@create.org.au
