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Walking alongside children, families and communities

Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.
– Helen Keller

Commitment to Uphold Human Rights

Mulga Projects acknowledges its direct responsibility to uphold, protect and promote the human rights of all children, young people, families, carers, communities, staff, volunteers and partners it works alongside. This commitment is central to the way Mulga Projects designs services, builds relationships, makes decisions and delivers community-based support.

Mulga Projects recognises that human rights are inseparable from dignity, culture, safety, self-determination, connection to family and kin, and meaningful participation in community life. Mulga Projects is committed to working in ways that are trauma-informed, culturally safe, relationship-based and responsive to the voices, strengths and aspirations of the people and communities it serves.

Mulga Projects understands that some people and communities experience structural disadvantage, discrimination, exclusion, violence, over-surveillance, removal from family, barriers to services, and breaches of their rights. This statement affirms a commitment to stand against those harms and to actively create conditions in which people are safer, heard, respected and better able to exercise choice and control over their lives.

Mulga Projects gives particular attention to the rights and interests of:

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, families and communities.
  • Children and young people who are in, leaving, or at risk of entering statutory systems.
  • Families navigating vulnerability, trauma, family stress, or intergenerational disadvantage.
  • Carers, kinship networks and community members involved in the care and safety of children.
  • People living with disability or mental health challenges.
  • Staff, contractors, volunteers and partners engaged in Mulga Projects’ work.

Mulga Projects draws its understanding of human rights from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and other relevant human rights instruments and Australian legal obligations.

Principles informing this commitment

Mulga Projects will:

  • Be led by the voices, choices, lived experience and cultural authority of children, families and communities.
  • Uphold the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to self-determination, cultural identity, family, kin, community and connection to Country.
  • Promote the safety, wellbeing and best interests of children in every aspect of service design and delivery.
  • Support people to participate in decisions that affect them, including through accessible information, informed consent and genuine opportunities to be heard.
  • Deliver services in ways that are culturally safe, trauma-informed, healing-oriented and free from discrimination.
  • Recognise and respond to the impacts of colonisation, racism, intergenerational trauma and systemic inequity.
  • Respect privacy, confidentiality and the dignity of each person, while meeting safeguarding and legal obligations.
  • Create workplaces and service environments that are inclusive, respectful and safe for diverse identities, cultures and experiences.
  • Take active steps to identify, prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation, coercion, harassment and retaliation.
  • Strengthen accountability by embedding human rights into governance, policy, practice, supervision, complaints processes and continuous improvement.
  • Support staff and representatives to understand their human rights responsibilities through induction, training, reflective practice and leadership.
  • Maintain ethical business practices, including actions to prevent modern slavery and exploitative labour within operations, procurement and partnerships.