Legislative context

The OMCFS Alliance supports the coordination of the wider service system and the implementation of approaches to service provision that apply.

The Children Youth and Families Act 2005 (the Act) provides the legislative basis for an integrated system of services for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

The legislative context promotes the safety, permanency and healthy development of children. It also places a strong emphasis on the need to consider the impacts of cumulative harm and to preserve cultural identity.

In accordance with the Act, early parenting, family and placement prevention services are required to provide their services in relation to a child in a manner that is in the best interests of the child.

The Roadmap for Reform: Strong Families, Safe Children – the first steps (Roadmap) released in 2016 provides a blueprint for transforming the child and family system from a crisis response to early intervention and prevention.

The next phase is focussed on developing new ‘pathways’ to support vulnerable children and families. The pathways approach looks at how all parts of the child and family system connect and work with other service platforms, including universal and specialist services.