Next Steps for Our Kids
About the Next steps strategy
Next Steps is the ACT's strategy for strengthening families and keeping children and young people safe. It is a long-term reform that aims to shift the ACT child and family system toward:
- earlier support for families,
- reduced reliance on statutory intervention
- better outcomes for children and young people.
The Next Steps vision is a child and family system in which children and young people are safe, supported and able to thrive. Families are strengthened to care for their children and young people wherever possible. Communities are partners in nurturing wellbeing, connection and belonging.
Under Next Steps, safety and wellbeing are understood as outcomes that emerge from stable relationships, continuity of care, cultural connection and responsive systems that support children, young people and families over time. This approach aligns with Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031. The National Framework emphasises system-wide responsibility for improving outcomes rather than relying on individual programs or services.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination is a foundational and non-negotiable commitment under Next Steps. It positions self-determination as a system obligation that applies across:
- policy
- decision-making
- service delivery
- monitoring and evaluation
- accountability.
Why it’s important
The Next Steps strategy is central to the ACT Government’s broader reform of children and family services. It aligns with:
- the national framework, Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031
- the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
It sets a clear vision that all children and young people in the ACT are safe, strong, connected, and able to live their best lives.
Achieving this requires a child-centred, family-focused system that integrates early support, prevention, child protection, out-of-home care, and youth justice. By strengthening families and providing coordinated support across the system, the strategy aims to:
- improve outcomes for children
- reduce the need for more intensive interventions.
What’s next
We are implementing the Next Steps for our Kids strategy (2022-2030) through 2 action plans.
- Action plan 1 covers 2022-2026.
- Action plan 2 covers 2027-2030.
Evaluating the performance of Next Steps
Our Performance Management suite sets out how we will measure the Next Steps Strategy outcomes. It:
- covers how the reform will be governed, and how evidence will be used
- describes how change will happen
- explains how reform will lead to improved outcomes in our systems, practices and the population
- plans evidence, evaluation and learning processes to show that the reform is working
- specifies what we will measure and monitor
- offers guidance for reporting performance information
- provides a plan to coordinate learning activities.
Approach and timing
Performance evaluation of Next Steps will be delivered over 5 years from 2025–2030.
Stage 1: Planning and consultation started in late 2025 and finished in 2026. Workshops and meetings occurred with service providers and other stakeholders. The Performance Management suite was completed in June 2026.
We will work to implement our performance evaluation with service providers during the second half of 2026.
Stages 2-4: From 2027–2030 the monitoring, evaluation and learning process will give us useful information to update our monitoring and evaluation tools. Ongoing updates will account for emerging issues, new providers and lessons learned.
In 2030, Next Steps will be independently evaluated using the evidence we gather using the monitoring and evaluation tools. Evidence and learning will drive continuous improvement over time.
Learning and Accountability Framework
Our Learning and Accountability Framework sets the foundations for this work. It establishes how we will govern outcomes, learning and accountability under Next Steps for Our Kids.