Improving Multidisciplinary Responses (IMR) Program

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a restricted but competitive process to apply to deliver services under the Improving Multidisciplinary Responses program. The Improving Multidisciplinary Responses (IMR) program is a $49 million program funded by the Commonwealth Government. It is a national, multi-jurisdiction initiative, which aims to enhance and improve holistic responses to First Nations families with multiple and complex needs. The IMR program is a priority action under Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031 (Safe and Supported) and is a measure in the Commonwealth Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (Closing the Gap) to achieve Target 12: By 2031, reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent. The IMR program is designed to centre First Nations cultural knowledge, frameworks and responses in the way that services are designed and delivered so that they better meet the needs of First Nations children and families with multiple and complex needs. This includes a focus on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle and its five elements of prevention, placement, participation, partnership and connection. The IMR program will reflect the Closing the Gap priorities of self-determination and cultural governance. First Nations peoples will have shared decision making throughout the design, implementation and evaluation of IMR activities. The IMR program will contribute to Closing the Gap socio-economic outcomes including building the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector, improving mainstream institutions, and improving access for First Nations peoples to their data.