.png)
Why we exist
Too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are growing up in out-of-home care. We run programs on Country and in culture that build connection, confidence and skills, and surround young people, their families and carers with love and support.
See how we do the workWhat we doThe gap
These numbers describe a system, not a people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children carry strong families, kin and culture. The system has too often failed to make room for them. Dreaming Futures exists to help make that room.
6%
of Australia's children are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
43.7%
of children in out-of-home care were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in 2023. That is more than 4 in 10.
11 times
the rate of out-of-home care compared with non-Indigenous children in 2024.
Sources: Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Our vision
A future with no young people living in out-of-home care.
This is the destination. Every program, partnership and decision at Dreaming Futures is measured against it.
What success looks like
Home, kin and community are within reach.
Work that builds skills and independence.
For anything in life that care has touched.
To community, and to their own Aboriginal mob.
Why culture, why Country
Connection to family, kin and Country is where belonging starts. Our programs are held on Country and in culture because that is where young people can feel strong, be known and be heard.
Elders and cultural knowledge holders are part of the work from the start, and families and carers are brought in, never left outside.
Every program is planned around culture first and the activity second. Read the ten cultural principles that guide how we work.
Our cultural principlesWe are building a board, a circle of partners and a way to give. Here is where you can step in.
Get involvedAbout Dreaming Futures