As we arrive in 2026, we wanted to reflect on how far this work has come, the lessons learned along the way, and the collective effort that brought us here.
Alternative First Responder Position Paper
In February we published the Alternative First Responder Position Paper. We extend our deepest thanks to the organisations and advocacy groups who stood behind this paper. Our supporters grew steadily throughout 2025 into a powerful coalition of 33 groups. Together, we represent communities from every corner of the country, each doing vital work to turn alternatives to policing into a reality. We encourage everyone to explore and support the work of each organisation and advocacy group.
The position paper helped shape policy advocacy in 2025. The paper was referenced by external advocacy policy reports who shared the call with us that we need to invest in alternative first responders to police.
Reports & references
- Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) – Feeling supported, not stuck: Rethinking intervention orders for children and young people
- The issue: The number of children responding to intervention orders is growing. VLA’s work to support young people has grown by 34% since 2018.
- The call to action: Investing in alternative first responders for children and young people.
- Recommendations:
- Recommendation 3 – A call for help should result in support. We recommend a suite of changes, including alternative first responders for children experiencing mental health crises and substantial changes to Victoria Police policy and practice (pg.9)
- Beyond Survival, Flat Out, RMIT University – Harm in the Name of Safety
- The issue: People are not getting the right response when seeking safety from violence. The report documents 225 Victorian frontline workers about their experiences of police responses to family violence. Detailed responses and damning testimony point to the limited pathways for people impacted by family violence policing to seek true safety.
- The call to action: Build alternative family violence first responder initiatives, including allocating funding for research and establishing a pilot program in Victoria.
Learning with us
To support and inspire on our advocacy journey, we are building an online library. In 2025, our ‘learn with us’ online library grew in resources including a frequently asked questions section. We highly recommend having a read of these if you haven’t already!
We co-created 10 blogs and articles connecting with others in the space to underscore the urgent need for alternatives across diverse contexts. We worked with JEC, CAAFLU, CTBMCLC, NIYEC and Dr Matthew Morgan – thank you for joining us in this message for care not force, sharing your expertise and allowing us to listen and learn.
Every month our Alternative First Responders newsletter went out with national, community and research updates – we thank you for opening these newsletters, sharing and staying up to date with the campaign. You can subscribe to our newsletter here.
Advocacy
In 2025 we spoke to parliamentarians from across the country and engaged with over 50 advocacy groups nationwide. As a campaign, we provided in-kind support to grass-roots advocacy initiatives, signed onto letters of advocacy in line with the campaign and informed policy through state consultations. We found alternative first responders was placed on the agenda in national workshops and supporters in the media helped to spread the message of Alternative First Responders through radio, TV and print. (include links)
The Alternative First Responders Symposium
On October 16, we were joined by 200+ attendees and a dozen speakers from across the country and overseas sharing powerful and practical tools for paving the path towards alternative first responders. In audience surveys we received an average 9.1 rating that reflected the quality of the information shared throughout the symposium. In this feedback people made it clear that they want to see:
- Community-based mental health care to protect and uphold human rights
- Pathways for law support to be inclusive and available to everyone
- Courageous investment in systems which promote restorative justice and healing over incarceration and prosecution
- Push back on ‘tough on crime’ agendas that disproportionately target young people and drive bad policy
- Community-led, culturally safe services as essential not additional
To read further and for full insights the Alternative First Responders Post-Symposium Report can be accessed here.
Pledges
Most importantly we heard from over 500 people who pledged their support and shared their stories with us, thank you for this. We are honoured to be entrusted with these personal experiences, they serve as a constant reminder of the importance of this work and why we must continue to push forward in 2026 with policy commitments. We hold these stories deeply and carry them with us into 2026 where we will continue to call for care, not force, in the first response.
- “When community, diversity, and mental-health expertise are at the centre of first response, people are treated as humans first, not problems to manage. Care should always come before force. Systems that work with people, not against them, save lives, reduce trauma, and create safer outcomes for everyone involved, including families, responders, and the wider community. That’s why this is important to me.”
- “I have a younger brother (10, I am 20) who is both an Indigenous boy and living with autism. I already see him being swept up in school and misunderstood. I can’t imagine what will happen when he starts looking like a man. I have a feeling that one day he will become just another statistic of police brutality.”
- “I have first-hand experience of this situation with my 36-year-old son. He resisted police (who I had called) while having a psychotic episode. Despite repeated requests that he had a severe MH condition/history and needed medical care he was charged and released. Multiple charges have followed.”
- “Having had the police come to my home when I was young regularly for both family violence and mental health related reasons – and each time having a traumatizing experience that was treated with little care I do not believe police are here to actually keep us safe. Alternative first responders can approach the situation with care and compassion which is sorely needed.”
As we look ahead, we do so with clarity, resolve, and a deep sense of shared purpose. The work continues, not as an abstract idea, but as a collective commitment to building alternative first responses rooted in care and dignity.
