What we do
Our Focus
OUR HOW
We will focus on ambitious, measurable objectives that could not be achieved by government or philanthropy working on their own.
The Investment Dialogue brings together wisdom of community, the agility, independence and innovation potential of philanthropic investment, and government’s ability to act at scale and bring policy and system-level reforms.
Our Focus Areas
How we are turning dialogue into action
Durning the second annual roundtable, participants agreed on key initiatives: adopting a Strategic Framework, expanding partnerships, supporting up to 50 communities with enhanced place-based resources, advancing innovative early childhood approaches, and shaping a youth-focused portfolio. The shared goal is to foster long-term, tangible outcomes that help children, young people, and families thrive.
The Strategic Framework will guide dialogue and collaboration between community, government and philanthropic partners across three portfolios: place, early years, and young people.
Place
We will partner with communities to work differently and create the conditions for change in place…
- Support community and First Nations-led place-based initiatives across the readiness scale from seeding to amplifying change
- Put data into the hands of communities to promote local planning and solutions, and support First Nations data sovereignty
- Develop the enablers for place, including supporting local leadership, shared decision making and coordinated investment
- Foster the ecosystem and networks needed to drive cohesive, enduring and impactful approaches to working in place
Early Years
…while working to ensure children experiencing disadvantage thrive in their early years…
- Empower parents and caregivers to better access the resources and education to support children
- Support early childhood initiatives which centre First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing and pride in culture
- Develop inclusive child and family centered early years systems with interconnected ECD and holistic ECEC models
- Catalyse development of a high-quality workforce in child facing services
- Shift public mindsets to recognise the importance of the early years
Young People
… and sustaining gains, minimising harm and drawing on the strengths of young people to achieve positive intergenerational change
- Support children in their middle years to thrive, including supporting First Nations approaches and innovation in the education system
- Support young people to navigate life transitions including to secondary school and into adulthood
- Experiment with new ways of holding systems accountable and creating fit for purpose systems for young people experiencing harm, including through elevating the voices of young people
- Experiment with rebalancing investment into prevention to decrease demand on tertiary services
A comprehensive approach across these portfolios can improve long-term health outcomes and help prevent conditions like developmental delays, obesity, mental health disorders, type 2 diabetes, asthma, otitis media, and heart disease. This can be achieved by increasing awareness of their underlying causes, alongside early intervention and ongoing support throughout childhood and adolescence.
DOWNLOAD
Strategic Framework November 2024
Collaboration through the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children seeks to draw on the unique strengths of community, government and philanthropy.