Strong Families, Our Way

Self-determination in the Aboriginal child & family sector.

quick links

Strong Families, Our Way (SFOW) is about putting our mob in the driver’s seat to create a better future for our young people, children, families, and communities. It’s a movement! Led by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people, making sure the child and family system in New South Wales is shaped by our voices, culture, and ways of knowing, doing, and being.

SFOW is more than just a project. It’s about respect, empowerment, and self-determination. It’s about keeping our kids connected to their families, their culture, and their Country while making real, lasting changes to a system that hasn’t always worked in our favour.

Our goal? To empower our communities to lead, build strong foundations for our children and young people, and reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal kids in out-of-home care (OOHC).

Why is Strong Families, Our Way needed?

6,563

Aboriginal children & young people are in New South Wales out-of-home care (OOHC).

57,975

Our kids are 7 times more likely to have contact with the child protection system.

Aboriginal children are 10 times more likely to be removed from their homes.

This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about our stories, our struggles, and our strength as a people. For over 200 years, decisions about our kids and families have been made by others; policies created without us, without understanding our ways, and without caring about the impact on our culture.

The legacy of the Stolen Generations still affects our families today. Too many of our kids are placed with non-Aboriginal carers, losing their connection to their mob and their identity. That’s why SFOW is so important. It’s about taking back control and making sure our voices are heard loud and clear.

Our target, in line with the Closing the Gap plan, is to reduce the number of our kids in OOHC by 45% by 2031. This isn’t just a goal—it’s a commitment to our future.

What are Aboriginal Community-Controlled Mechanisms (ACCMs)?

The heart of SFOW is the co-design and formation of Aboriginal Community-Controlled mechanisms (ACCMs). These are local bodies, led by community members, providing support and oversight to the child and family system in their area. An ACCM is:

Led by our mob: The community decides who’s involved and how it operates.

Independent: ACCMs are not run by the government—they are for the community, by the community.

Collaborative: While ACCMs are independent, they work alongside government and other organisations to ensure better outcomes for Aboriginal kids and families.

ACCM = independent organisation, working in partnership with government and other agencies to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children, young people and families.

By setting up Aboriginal Community-Controlled Mechanisms, we’re ensuring that decisions about our children and young people are grounded in our culture and community values.

Currently there are ACCMs being established in:

Murrumbidgee

Wagga Wagga
Albury
Griffith
Leeton
Narrandera
Tumut
Young
Cootamundra

Greater Sydney

Nepean Blue Mountains

Western NSW

Hunter Valley

New England

Mid Coast / Northern NSW

How do you start an ACCM in your community?

Setting up an ACCM might seem like a big job, but the SFOW team is here to guide and support you every step of the way. Here’s how you can get started:

1. Yarn with the SFOW Team

Reach out to us for a yarn. We’ll explain what ACCMs are, what they can do, and how they can be tailored to fit your community’s needs.

2. Bring your mob together

Get your community, local leaders, and other stakeholders together for a yarn. This is where you’ll talk about what your ACCM could look like—how it will work, who’ll be involved, and how it will make a difference.

3. Plan and design your ACCM

Once you’ve got the big picture sorted, it’s time to design the finer details—roles, responsibilities, and processes to make your ACCM run smoothly.

3. Relationship-building with DCJ

An amicable and respectful relationship will be the cornerstone of ACCM success. The SFOW team will walk alongside you every step of the way—from the first yarn to launching your ACCM and beyond.

How Strong Families, Our Way walks with your community

The SFOW project is built on the foundation of self-determination. We walk alongside Aboriginal communities, guided by your voices, knowledge, and lived experiences. We are here to listen, learn, and support your vision for how children and families are cared for and protected. Your aspirations shape our work.

The SFOW Team place community at the centre of systemic change. We are committed to strengthening Aboriginal self-determination within the child and family system across New South Wales. Central to this is empowering ACCMs to grow in strength and influence, ensuring that communities lead the decisions that affect them.

We partner with Aboriginal organisations to co-design holistic, culturally grounded models of care that reflect the values, strength, and resilience of our people. By working in collaboration with community, government, and non-government partners, we are creating pathways to embed Aboriginal leadership in decision-making and service design—laying the foundation for long-term, community-led change.

Networking

Yarn ups

Formation

Workshops

Launch

Ongoing help

Self-determination in the Aboriginal child & family sector

In addition to ACCMs, SFOW seeks to expand self-determination in the child and family system by building the capacity and networks of ACCMs to influence the broader system. This includes projects such as designing holistic child and family service models led by Aboriginal organisations. The SFOW team partners with community, government, and non-government stakeholders to identify and seize these opportunities.

Strong Families, Our Way success stories

Sharing lived and professional experiences

A notable example of an ACCM is the establishment of Aboriginal Children on Country in the Illawarra Shoalhaven region. This initiative was driven by the community’s response to a traumatic incident in August 2022, where Aboriginal children were removed from a local First Nations early childcare education centre during Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day celebrations.

In collaboration with AbSec and Transforming Aboriginal Outcomes (TAO), local elders and community members formed Aboriginal Children on Country.

This mechanism relies on volunteers sharing lived and professional experiences to support and consult Aboriginal families in the child protection system, aiming to keep Aboriginal children living with family on Country.

Sovereign women leading the way

What began as a yarn under the trees in Victoria Park in early 2023 has grown into a powerful movement. The Dubbo Grannies Group, a collective of strong, sovereign Aboriginal grandmothers, came together with a shared purpose: to protect and uplift their community, and ensure the next generations grow up strong in culture and connection.

Since then, the Grannies have become a key voice in local decision-making, partnering with the SFOW project and helping shape the Dubbo ACCM. Their lived experience and cultural knowledge guide how services and systems can better support Aboriginal families.

They also work closely with Aboriginal Child and Family Advocacy and Support (ACFAS), offering culturally safe support to families navigating the child protection system. This partnership strengthens advocacy efforts and keeps families informed of their rights and options.

The Dubbo Grannies are more than advisors—they are cultural leaders, truth-tellers, and protectors of kin. Their story is proof that when Aboriginal women lead, communities thrive.