Australia begins consultation on next action plans for Safe and Supported 

Early childhood organisations, researchers and other stakeholders have an opportunity to contribute to the next stage of Australia’s national framework for protecting children, with targeted engagement underway to inform the Second Action Plans for Safe and Supported from 2027 to 2031.

Families Australia, through the National Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing, is inviting input to inform the development of the Second Action Plans under Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031.

The Department of Social Services (DSS) is coordinating the targeted engagement process, which will test and refine priorities, identify what is working and where further action is needed, and consider what should be prioritised during the next stage of national reform.

The Second Action Plans will guide implementation of the national framework from 2027 to 2031.

Submissions close on 30 September 2026.

Safe and Supported provides the national framework for improving the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and families.

The Second Action Plans will determine priorities for the remaining years of the framework, building on its existing implementation and evidence gathered from stakeholders.

For the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, the engagement provides an opportunity to contribute evidence and experience from services working directly with children and families.

This may include perspectives on prevention and early support, child safety, coordination between services, workforce capability and the ways different systems work together to support children and families.

The consultation is not specifically an ECEC reform process and does not itself propose new regulatory requirements for services.

It does, however, provide an opportunity for the sector to contribute to a national framework concerned with the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

DSS has released a discussion paper to support written submissions on the Second Action Plans.

The targeted engagement will be used to test and refine proposed priorities and identify areas where further national action may be required.

Evidence and feedback gathered through the process will contribute to the development of the plans through the existing Safe and Supported governance arrangements.

Governments will also consider information from the engagement alongside consultations undertaken for the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 and the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030.

Written submissions can be provided anonymously or in a de-identified form.

Families Australia is supporting engagement with sector, research and community partners through the National Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing.

Alongside the public submission process, Families Australia is working with the National Coalition’s Steering Committee to facilitate targeted workshops examining cross-cutting issues related to Safe and Supported.

The workshops will bring together practitioners, researchers, experts, people with lived experience and advocates from different sectors and perspectives.

Families Australia will also prepare its own submission to inform development of the Second Action Plans.

For ECEC organisations and professionals, the process provides an avenue for evidence from early childhood settings to form part of this broader discussion about child safety and wellbeing.

SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children, together with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group for Safe and Supported, is leading a separate consultation process to inform the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Second Action Plan.

A dedicated discussion paper has been released to support that engagement.

Families Australia, SNAICC and DSS are coordinating the parallel engagement processes to enable a broad range of perspectives to be heard and streamline the collection of information.

Organisations, researchers, practitioners, advocates, people with lived experience and other interested stakeholders can contribute to the consultation by reviewing the DSS discussion paper and providing a written submission.

Submissions must be lodged with DSS by 30 September 2026.

Families Australia is also facilitating targeted workshops through the National Coalition on Child Safety and Wellbeing, while SNAICC is leading engagement relating specifically to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Second Action Plan.

For the ECEC sector, the process provides an opportunity to contribute practical experience of supporting children and families and working with the broader systems involved in children's safety and wellbeing.

The evidence gathered through the engagement will help inform the Second Action Plans and the priorities guiding implementation of Safe and Supported from 2027 to 2031.

More information about the targeted engagement, including links to the discussion paper and DSS submission process, is available from Families Australia.