AbSec - NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation and Mounty Aboriginal Youth & Community Services (MAYCS) have united to host the Quarterly Sector Youth Forum in Sydney on May 19-20.
Organisers say the two-day event will be "one of the most significant gatherings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, families, sector leaders and government in recent years", which will have "a simple but powerful commitment" at its heart: "When it comes to the systems that shape young people's lives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people must be central to the conversations and the decisions that affect them."
AbSec and MAYCS notes the data "tells a story that demands urgent action".
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children make up just seven per cent of the child population in NSW, yet account for 45 per cent of all children in out-of-home care; approximately 6,500 children as of June 2025.
The 2024 NSW Auditor General found the Department of Communities and Justice made "negligible progress" on structural reform and at the current pace, it will take 57 years to transfer case management of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in out-of-home-case (OOHC) to Aboriginal-led organisations.
AbSec and MAYCS said the Quarterly Sector Youth Forum (QSF) "brings together the evidence, the sector and — most importantly — the young people whose lived experience must shape what comes next".
AbSec is the peak Aboriginal organisation in NSW dedicated to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities by advocating for the rights, safety, and wellbeing of our children, young people and families.
AbSec chief executive John Leha said that "for too long, the systems that most profoundly impact our children, young people and families have been designed, delivered and governed without us".
"We see the consequences of that every single day. We see it in the data. We see it in the courtrooms. We see it in the faces of young people who have been told their whole lives that others know what's best for them," Mr Leha said.
"This Forum is our answer to that. It is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people standing up and saying: we have lived this, we understand it, and we need a seat at the table to shape our own futures. Self-determination is a right that in practice means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the authority to make decisions on the issues that affect us."
The Forum will open with a lived experience panel, When Protection Becomes Profit, Children Pay the Price, followed by workshops on out-of-home-care reform, Cultural Care Planning including Grief, Loss and Sorry Business, and aftercare, closing with a performance by Dhinawan Yarn.
The second day invites Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Mob Only, "turning evidence into action" with sessions on Know Your Rights for young people, Department of Communities and Justice updates on the OOHC Strategy and their organisational changes, a housing solutions co-design session, and a Yarning Circle on Intergenerational Advocacy.
Youth Ambassador with MAYCS, Taite, explained why the QSF means so much.
"There are too many young people being spoken about instead of being spoken with - and I know that because I've lived it. I know what it feels like to have systems control your life but show no genuine care for you or your future. When lived experiences are shared with the right people, they can help create change."
MAYCS chief executive Daniel Daylight highlighted the importance of the partnership with AbSec to elevate the voices of Aboriginal young people.
"This Youth-led forum matters because it's not just another space where people talk about young people, it's a space led by young people," he said.
"What we've seen through Mounty Yarns and our work across communities is that young people already have the answers. They know what's not working in out of home care and family support, because they have lived it."
The Forum will also mark the official launch of AbSec's Leaving Care Hub: Life After the System, a free, practical online resource built with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people preparing to leave OOHC.
The Leaving Care Hub walks young people through every stage of their transition: from starting a Leaving Care Plan at age 15, through to housing applications, Centrelink entitlements, accessing care records, and staying connected to family, culture and Country.
In 2023-24, of the more than 1,000 Aboriginal young people who exited care in NSW, around half transitioned to non-permanent arrangements, an estimated 200-300 experienced significant housing instability or homelessness.
AbSec says the Leaving Care Hub exists to change that; putting clear, culturally safe information "directly in the hands of young people and the communities and workers who walk alongside them".
The Hub will be officially launched at the Forum and is featured on the AbSec website.
Performing live at the Forum, Gomeroi artist Kobie Dee, from Maroubra on Bidjigal Land, brings his innate gift for storytelling and an electric connection with young people. Forum organisers described Kobie Dee as "one of the most exciting voices in Australian hip hop" and "a powerful reminder that culture, creativity and community are inseparable, and that the strength of Aboriginal young people finds expression in many forms".
The QSF is made possible with the support of Cages Foundation, MacKillop Family Services, NSW Government's Office for Youth, the Pastel Foundation, Act for Kids, Legal Aid NSW and Youth Action.
More information about the forum, and the event's agenda, is available online.
