The Early Childhood Care and Development Policy Partnership (ECPP) is an Australian Government commitment to bring together governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to develop recommendations to improve early childhood outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
On this page:
About the partnership
The ECPP enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to work in genuine partnership with governments to drive community-led, early childhood care and development outcomes.
The ECPP has been co-developed with:
- SNAICC– National Voice for our Children (SNAICC), the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families
- Australian Government departments with responsibility across
- early childhood education and care
- maternal and child health
- child protection and families.
The Australian Government has committed $10.2 million over three years to establish the partnership. This includes resources to support SNAICC as co-chair and shared secretariat with the Department of Education.
The partnership is part of the commitment of Australian governments to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (National Agreement). The partnership will be reviewed after three years in line with the National Agreement.
Objectives
The objectives of the ECPP include to:
- identify reforms to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to achieve their potential in the early years, and to set them up for long-term success
- action priority reforms in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led initiatives
- identify opportunities to work more effectively across governments, Coalition of Peaks and community organisations
- enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives, communities and organisations to negotiate and implement agreements with governments to support Closing the Gap.
Read more in the Agreement to Implement the ECPP.
Membership
The partnership comprises representatives from peak organisations and governments, including:
- Federal, state and territory governments
- SNAICC – National Voice for Our Children
- National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation
- First Peoples Disability Network
- Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
- Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated
- Aboriginal Family Support Services
- other independent First Nations and community representatives.
Work plan
The year 1 work plan summarises the agreed actions the ECPP will take to support its objectives.
In 2023, the ECPP will:
- progress initial priorities to improve early childhood care and development outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- conduct and commission research that advances the partnership’s policy reform priorities.
- develop an Annual Report to the Joint Council on the actions of the ECPP and its progress against objectives and targets
- develop a 3-year strategic plan to bring together National Agreement priority reforms and policy areas.
Read the year 1 work plan.
Meetings
The ECPP has held meetings on:
Engaging with the ECPP
The ECPP welcomes requests for engagement from government and non-government organisations developing policies or initiatives that will impact the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families.
Organisations can seek the expertise of the ECPP to inform the design of a process or initiative. The ECPP will prioritise engagement opportunities that:
- align with the ECPP’s scope, objectives, workplan and priorities
- align with the National Agreement
- provide opportunity for impact and influence from the ECPP as senior representatives and decision-makers
- have a clear and defined opportunity for ECPP to make a collective contribution
- allow sufficient time for collective discussion, decision-making and input from the ECPP.
Read the ECPP engagement criteria for more information on its role and priorities.
To contact the ECPP co-secretariat about an engagement opportunity, please email ECCDpolicypartnership@education.gov.au with your contact details and a short summary of your organisation's opportunity.
To find out more about how your personal information will be used, please read the ECPP privacy statement.
Resources
Read about the Early Childhood Package measures, which are part of our commitment to Closing the Gap.
Read more about the Australian Government’s commitments in early childhood care and development, including: