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 NEABY’s advocacy to Ministers.
- 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
September advocacy focus
CREATE’s national youth board presents lived experience insights from clubCREATE members to federal, state and territory Ministers
CREATE’s National Experience to Action Board (Youth) shared insights from 100 Youth Advisory Groups with Ministers in a report titled, ‘This matters to us.’
NEABY told the decision-makers, “Your decisions impact our lives, and we want to be able to have a voice in those decisions… We carry the stories of lived experience from children and young people in care across our states and jurisdictions. We want to work with you so that the voices of children in care are not lost. We want you to listen to us, and remember that your policies and decisions shape our childhoods and our futures. We are proud to provide you with a copy of ‘This matters to us’… . We invite you to partner with us so that children who are removed from their families and raised in care, by government, have the best childhoods and brightest futures.”
Read the Report here and stay tuned for the responses from Ministers and Departments.
CREATE Updates
CREATE Foundation CEO, Imogen Edeson and National Advocacy Director, Jen Hyatt were honoured to be among the 2,000+ delegates to attend SNAICC 2025 ‘Our Culture, Keep it Strong, We Belong’ in early October. SNAICC’25 was the largest conference of its kind in the world, celebrating and learning from the world’s oldest living culture to improve the lives and opportunities for children and young people.
Imogen and Jen were fortunate to meet SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle and Chair of the Board, Aunty Muriel Bamblett, and to hear lived experience insights from brave and brilliant young people throughout the conference, including Kynesha, Jasmine, Miah and the new members of SNAICC’s Youth Voice. Jen had the privilege of meeting Narelda Jacobs, who shared a message directly to CREATE’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. CREATE will keep advocating for Voice, Truth and Treaty.
Watch the videos from the SNAICC Conference including Narelda’s message to clubCREATE here on YouTube.
News
CREATE Foundation welcomes the appointment of Deb Tsorbaris as the third National Children’s Commissioner. We look forward to working alongside Commissioner Tsorbaris from November 2025. CREATE also acknowledges the contributions of Anne Hollonds and thanks her for her dedication and service. Read the Media Release.
100 interviews. 100 young people. 100 days. NAPCAN’s Fair Youth Coverage campaign has published video interviews with CREATE Young Consultants across the country including Shaini (VIC) and Timothy (NT) calling for fair and ethical representation of children and young people in the media. Check it out.
Opportunities
Applications are now open for the 2026 Office for Youth, Youth Advisory Groups. Apply here before Sunday, 26 October.
CREATE updates
CREATE in SA attended the Child Protection & Family Support Awards. Our CEO Imogen proudly presented the Positive Impact Award and CREATE Young Consultant, Tanaya took home an award from the Guardian for Children and Young People, Shona Reid. Congratulations to all winners and nominees and thanks to the Department for Child Protection and NAPCAN for a wonderful evening.
CREATE Updates
Members of the SHIFT Ministerial Youth Advisory Network met with Minister for Child Safety, Amanda Camm at Parliament House to discuss priorities for residential care reform and of course, introduce Gus. Watch the video of their visit.
CREATE has made our second submission to the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s Child Safety System with a focus on safe engagement of children and young people. Read the submission.
Every November, we celebrate Transition to Adulthood (T2A Month) to support young people in Queensland as they move from out-of-home care to adulthood. We have just announced the T2A Month launch event at Sea World and invite services to submit an EOI to host a stall.
Media Releases
Opportunities
The Commission of Inquiry into Queensland’s Child Safety System has released an online survey for young people with experience of the child safety system. CREATE Foundation’s Youth Advisory Groups (YAGs) are another way you can share your voice with the Commission as these meetings inform CREATE’s submissions to the Inquiry.
The Children’s Health Queensland SAY Collaborative will host its fourth annual Summit on 13 November 2025 at the State Library of Queensland. Register here.
CREATE Updates
CREATE in NT teamed up with Rapper Riley P again to produce another song with our Northern Territory Young Consultants. Check out this verse for a taster:
This life,
These streets,
It gets hard
To chase dreams,
But I won’t give up.
But I won’t give up.
Thanks to Youth Vibe Holiday Grant for funding this artistic collaboration and stay tuned for the song’s release later in 2025.
News
CREATE Foundation added our signature to the Open Letter to the Northern Territory Government No pepper spray, no guns on buses: ‘tough on crime’ won’t produce safer communities. CREATE spokesperson, Tenneil Ross said, “Measures such as introducing pepper spray and weapons into the community, along with punitive reforms to youth justice, risk deepening trauma, increasing incarceration rates, and disproportionately harming Aboriginal children, young people, and families.”
CREATE Foundation welcomes the appointment of Brent Warren as the Chief Executive of the NT. We look forward to working with Mr Warren to make positive change for all children and young people with lived experience of out-of-home care in the NT.
Opportunities
Applications are open for the 2026 NT Youth Round Table. Apply now.
News
CREATE Foundation welcomes the announcement of more wraparound supports and responses to reduce the exploitation and harm of children in Western Australia. Read the news here. CREATE will continue to share young people’s insights and perspectives with decision-makers. Thank you Minister Stojovski, or ‘Jess’ as she encouraged our Young Consultants to call her at the recent WA Roundtable (see photo below).
CREATE Foundation, with our members, would like to thank Sharla Abdullah for her outstanding work and leadership as the Advocate for Western Australia. Sharla told CREATE, “The role of the Advocate is the most privileged position to sit and hear the voices of children. It’s their care experience.”
Sharla has made such an impact, and CREATE members from every corner of WA know and trust Sharla, for how she takes the time to listen and act. We look forward to working with you as you continue to improve the experiences, safety and life outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care throughout WA.
CREATE Updates
CREATE in Tasmania and NAPCAN hosted a morning tea where Young Consultants spoke about their journeys in care and shared advice for sector and decision-makers in the room, including:
“Understand how trauma affects young people differently, and be there to support them on their healing journey.”
“Work needs to be co-designed, child-centred, and child rights based.”
“If what you’re doing isn’t holding young people at the centre, you’re doing it wrong.”
After the panel discussion, professionals were encouraged to pledge their commitment to listening to the voices of young people by adding pieces to a giant puzzle created by young people (pictured).
Attendees shared that it was a powerful event which served as a reminder to consider how they can actively uplift the voices of young people within their practices.
CREATE Young Consultant, Tara is pictured with the giant puzzle artwork.
CREATE joined the FKAT Carers Conference and hosted a range of activities for young people so that carers could immerse themselves into the sessions. Paula, Caelin-Jane and Maddy from our TAS team are pictured at the conference.
News
The Commission for Children and Young People Bill 2025 was introduced to Parliament in September 2025. The bill aims to establish a new Commission to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of children and young people in Tasmania. Read the Factsheet for more information.
CREATE Updates
CREATE’s Youth Advisory Groups (YAGs) discuss tough subjects like mental health, sibling connection, and stability in care so we intentionally build fun, hands-on activities into YAGs like terrarium-making. See the photo below from our recent Mental Health YAG in the ACT where young people created their own mini-gardens.
Meaningful youth participation starts with creating safe, engaging spaces where young people feel heard, respected, and valued. Learn more about what we offer in our Menu of Programs.
News
ACT Government commits to holistic partnership to reduce over-representation. CREATE Foundation will continue to advocate for changes to youth justice and supports First-Nations led solutions to over-representation in youth justice and out-of-home care. CREATE will work with the ACT Government to ensure that the lived experiences of children and young people who have experienced these systems during their childhoods can have a say and contribute to positive change.
CREATE Update
Our CEO, Imogen, National Advocacy Director, Jen and Victoria’s State Coordinator, Blair attended the 2025 Victorian Protecting Children Awards with our Young Consultants who presented the CREATE Positive Impact Award. Thank you to Young Consultants, Ruby and Marina and congratulations to winners and nominees.
CREATE in VIC attended the VCOSS Community Sector Summit, bringing together leaders from across the social and community sector to spark new ideas, explore shared challenges, and build momentum for coordinated action and change. The summit explored major issues affecting the community and social sector, including equal opportunities, the housing crisis, the youth justice system, youth employment, improving service delivery, child and family wellbeing, and driving systemic reforms—particularly in the lead-up to the next election.
CREATE joined celebrations of the 16,000 households providing kinship care throughout Australia. Nina Natasya, CREATE’s Advocacy Lead for Victoria was invited to join Anne McLeish (Director of Kinship Carers in Victoria), Minister for Children the Hon. Lizzie Blandthorn MP, carers and sector leaders to celebrate and acknowledge the contribution of Kinship Carers in Victoria as part of Kinship Carers Week. The luncheon was a way to strengthen the sector’s connections and recognise the vital role kinship carers play in providing stability, love, and care for children and young people.
News
The Victorian Parliament has introduced the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 to Parliament this month in an exciting and significant step forward in the decade-long work towards truth, justice and self-determination. If passed, this will formalise a binding agreement between First Peoples and the Victorian Government that will enshrine truth-telling and accountability, and treaty-making mechanisms. Read more.
Opportunities
Applications open for Round 2 of Ministerial Youth Advisory Group, closing 19 October. Apply here.
The National Office for Child Safety will be holding the next Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group meeting in Melbourne on Tuesday, 11 November. CREATE Young Consultants will support this event through convening and participating in panel discussions. To find out more, email vic@create.org.au
Enter to win a Treaty Jacket to raise awareness and support for Treaty in Victoria. This initiative aims to engage young people in ongoing Treaty conversations and support the movement for self-determination for First Peoples. Enter here.
CREATE updates
CREATE Young Consultants attended NAPCAN’s launch of National Child Protection week in Sydney and spoke to future social work graduates at the University of Wollongong. Pictured here our Young Consultants, Lachlan and Tee with CREATE CEO, Imogen.
CREATE Young Consultants join the Centre for Relational Care’s #HumansOfCare campaign. Our Young Consultants are being empowered to share their stories as part of the Humans of New York-style campaign on the Centre’s LinkedIn page.
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