“Let's not add to the fragmentation. Let's use what we've got and who we've got and what we know and what we learn.”
Systems Change for Kids
Michael Hogan · Executive Convenor, Queensland Kids Partnership
About this episode
In this episode, Matt speaks with Michael Hogan, Executive Convenor of the Queensland Kids Partnership — an initiative hosted by ARACY that works to improve the wellbeing of Queensland's children and young people. Michael shares why the partnership deliberately set out not to add another organisation to a crowded ecosystem, choosing instead to convene, catalyse and connect the people and programs already doing the work. It's a wide-ranging conversation about systems change, place-based practice, the role of philanthropy, and the shift from competitive advantage to collaborative advantage.
Key takeaways
Don't add to the fragmentation
The partnership was deliberately designed not to create a new entity or service, but to use what's already there — drawing on ARACY's national networks rather than adding another organisation to a crowded ecosystem.
Lead, facilitate, affiliate
Organised around six portfolios of work, the partnership thinks in terms of what it leads, what it facilitates, and what it affiliates to — recognising that everyone has a role to play, and that the role changes rather than disappears.
Make the invisible work visible
Relationship and partnership work is often unseen and undervalued by funders. Tools like social network analysis help show networks doing the work — and make the case for investing in it.
Follow the money
Fragmented, siloed funding drives much of the waste and complexity in the system. Shifting outcomes for kids means changing how investment, commissioning and contracting actually work.
From competitive advantage to collaborative advantage
Most incentives reward competition — even duplication. Valuing collaboration and adopting a shared framework like ARACY's Nest lets partners speak the same language and contribute to a bigger whole.
Topics covered
- Systems change
- Child & youth wellbeing
- Place-based approaches
- Systems intermediaries
- Philanthropy & funding
- Collaboration
- Queensland Kids Partnership