Family Services
Child Poverty
Around 1 in 6 Australian children are living in poverty, representing roughly three-quarters of a million children growing up in households below the poverty line. Child poverty remains stubbornly high for nearly a decade despite Australia’s overall wealth.
Overrepresentation
In 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were in out‑of‑home care at a rate of 50.3 per 1,000 children—many times higher than the rate for non‑Indigenous children, indicating ongoing, systemic over‑representation in the child protection system.
Interventions
Evidence from Australian poverty and child protection research shows that children in families facing poverty and social exclusion are at higher risk of coming into contact with the child protection system, poorer health, and worse life outcomes over time.
Unemployment
Around 1 in 9 households with children are “jobless families,” where no parent is in paid work, placing children at much higher risk of poverty and social exclusion.
The right support can turn a crisis point into a turning point for children and families.
Families are doing it tough
Families can experience periods of significant challenge for many different reasons. Financial pressure is one factor, but it often sits alongside others such as housing instability, health concerns, family violence, substance use, mental health challenges, and the impacts of trauma. These experiences can affect a family’s capacity to maintain stability and consistently meet the needs of children and young people.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, these challenges are often shaped by the ongoing impacts of colonisation, systemic inequities, and intergenerational trauma. These factors can intersect in complex ways, influencing family wellbeing, connection to services, and experiences with government systems.
When multiple pressures build over time, everyday parenting can become more difficult. Without the right support, families may come into contact with the child protection system.
A different starting point
The Queensland Commission of Inquiry into the Child Protection System has reinforced the importance of shifting the focus from reaction to prevention. Rather than asking, “What has gone wrong?” there is a growing emphasis on asking:
- What is happening for this family?
- What strengths already exist?
- What support would make this home safe?
- How can we ensure children’s needs are being met?
This strengths-based approach recognises that most families want the best for their children and, with the right support, can provide safe, stable, and nurturing environments.
Our commitment to prevention
Mulga Projects supports a prevention-first approach. We believe that the best outcomes for children and young people are achieved when families are supported early before challenges escalate to crisis or statutory intervention.
Early, culturally responsive, and practical support can help families to:
- Maintain safe care for children within their family, culture, and community
- Strengthen parenting confidence, routines, and relationships
- Address underlying challenges impacting family functioning
- Improve access to housing, health, education, and community supports
- Build long-term stability and wellbeing
We recognise that families are the experts in their own lives. Our role is to walk alongside them, building on strengths and providing the support, advocacy, and connections needed to create sustainable change.
Family Support
Mulga Projects delivers evidence-informed support services for families experiencing complex challenges or at risk of entering the child protection system.
Our approach is grounded in partnership, respect, and cultural safety and includes:
- Meeting families where they are, through flexible, outreach-based support
- Listening first, and working with families to identify goals that matter to them
- Providing practical, hands-on assistance to stabilise day-to-day living
- Strengthening parenting capacity and family relationships
- Embedding cultural connection and community-led responses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
- Coordinating with services to reduce complexity and ensure families are heard
Why this matters
When we respond early and support families in practical, meaningful ways, we can reduce the need for statutory intervention and keep children safely connected to their families, culture, and community.
At Mulga Projects, we are committed to working alongside families and communities to create safe, supportive environments where children and young people can thrive.
For more information on this service, contact us today.