The 35 Indigenous Child and Family Centres and the MACS

The September edition of SNAICC News was posted out early this week. It includes an article by SNAICC Executive Officer, Frank Hytten, concerning the current development of the 35 Indigenous Child and Family Centres (ICFCs) across Australia. The two key matters addressed were an apparent change in both terminology and intent from ‘Indigenous Child and Family Centres’, to ‘Indigenous focused’ centres; and a suggestion that the Multifunctional Aboriginal Childcare Services (MACS) services could ‘top-up’ their funding if they surrender their MACS status as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled services.

The following report is an update in relation to these matters

Since SNAICC News went to print, SNAICC has been in conversation with staff at the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), who have carriage of the ICFC roll-out, in conjunction with state governments.

SNAICC have been assured that all parties seek to achieve the best outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, that there is no ulterior intent in the use of the term ‘focused’ and that should MACS accept additional funds they would neither be disadvantaged by any policy intent, nor would their Indigenous community controlled status be compromised. As these processes are under development, no promises could be made, but SNAICC EO Frank Hytten accepted these assurances as being in good faith.

However, given the complexity of the implementation across all levels of government and the need to ensure that the SNAICC’s message is heard, a close watch needs to be kept on the unfolding process. Decision makers need to fully understand the core issues around cultural safety and Indigenous community control and that this is the best mechanism to ‘Close the Gap’ and perhaps achieve even better outcomes.

What YOU can do

Our conversation with government is continuing. We will keep you informed but you can make your views known at both state and federal levels to your key public servants and Ministers. Key contact email addresses for the federal Ministers and your own state and territory agencies are available here.

Please contact Frank Hytten at SNAICC if you have any questions or comments.

In addition, we need your assistance in getting accurate information as to what is happening in your state. To make it consistent and easy to gather, we ask you the eight questions below.

Please cut and paste the questions below into an email and send back your answers to Frank Hytten.

1. What state or territory are you reporting about?
2. Have any sites been fixed upon in your state?      YES       NO
3. Where are the final sites you know about?
4. What quality of consultation with community regarding the location of these sites was carried out?
   NONE       LITTLE       ADEQUATE       GOOD       EXCELLENT
5. Have the federal or state governments (or both) been engaged with you in this process?
   FEDERAL       STATE/TERRITORY        BOTH        NONE
6. What have you been told about Indigenous control (or other management issues) of the new ICFCs, if anything (please write a few lines)
7. What have you been told about the ongoing status of MACS, either as MACS or as ICFCs (please write a few lines)
8. Some other information or ideas you may wish to tell us.

 Many thanks, Frank Hytten

 See the full article in the September 2009 edition of SNAICC News

Contact information for key federal and state agencies involved in the roll out of the 35 centres are:

Address correspondence to:

The Hon. Kate Ellis MP
Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth; Minister for Sport
E: Kate.Ellis.MP@aph.gov.au