SNAICC partnered with Notitia to co-design a cloud-based data platform that supports data sovereignty, human-centred design, and policy impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Qlik Cloud Analytics • Databricks • Microsoft Azure • Data Strategy • Human-Centred Design • Analytics as a Managed Service • Data Governance • Not-for-Profit • Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Services
SNAICC partnered with Notitia to co-design a cloud-based data platform that supports data sovereignty, human-centred design, and policy impact for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Qlik Cloud Analytics • Databricks • Microsoft Azure • Data Strategy • Human-Centred Design • Analytics as a Managed Service • Data Governance • Not-for-Profit • Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Services
SNAICC is the national non-governmental peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, advocating for their rights and wellbeing. Their work spans early childhood, policy reform, and community-led initiatives, but the organisation lacked a central, governed data platform to support its growing role in national advocacy.
Historically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations have had limited access to fit-for-purpose data platforms. SNAICC needed a solution that not only managed data but helped tell stories, strengthen campaigns, and influence decision-makers through real, location-specific insights.
Key challenges included:
• No centralised platform for storing, analysing, or visualising data
• Inconsistent access to disaggregated and localised data across geographies
• The need for culturally aligned, plain-language reporting for diverse audiences
• Varying levels of data literacy across internal teams
• A critical requirement for any data solution to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data sovereignty and self-determination
Without the right infrastructure, insights were siloed, reporting was time-consuming, and opportunities to advocate with evidence were missed.
They partnered with Notitia to build a national platform that was much more than technical infrastructure. It needed to reflect SNAICC’s values, support non-technical users, and enable evidence-led advocacy aligned with Closing the Gap and other national priorities.
Partnering with Notitia, SNAICC designed and implemented a national data platform built on Qlik Cloud Analytics, Microsoft Azure and Databricks, tailored from the ground up to reflect the organisation’s values, capabilities, and strategic goals. The platform also includes plans for Qlik Application Automation, in future phases, to enable automated data workflows, scheduled updates, and streamlined reporting processes.
• Azure represented a new cloud data storage layer, configured from the ground up with raw, transformed, and analysis layers, as well as governed user access via Azure EntraID and embedded security controls.
• Databricks was implemented as the data processing and transformation layer, enabling pipelines for ingesting, blending, and governing datasets, including masking and obfuscation rules for personally identifiable information (PII).
• Qlik Cloud Analytics served as the visualisation and reporting layer, giving staff access to intuitive dashboards designed for advocacy, policy, and storytelling.
This was more than a technical project. It was a strategic investment in long-term capability, influence, and cultural alignment. The implementation is governed and sustained by SNAICC — reinforcing self-determination through full control over their data, content, and user access, as well as long-term sustainability without vendor reliance.
Key features of the solution include:
• Human-centred design and user persona mapping
Notitia’s work began with a user persona mapping process to understand the real needs of SNAICC’s internal users, from advocacy leads to policy staff and executives.
This process identified user goals, workflows, pain points, and literacy levels, ensuring the platform was usable and impactful from day one. Dashboards were co-designed with these real users in mind.
• Dashboards designed for storytelling and advocacy
The co-designed dashboards reflect SNAICC’s Editorial Style Guide, enabling storytelling through data while aligning tone, visuals, and content with the organisation’s communication style.
- The UX designed dashboards help SNAICC to better communicate to their stakeholders, by impactfully presenting their data, and translating complex data into compelling stories that advocate for real-world change.
- Visuals are intuitive, accessible, and designed for non-technical users
- Insights surface in plain language to support policy and advocacy teams
- Users can explore data flexibly through drag-and-drop interfaces while avoiding illogical combinations, thanks to a strong backend model
• Mapping conventions that support real-world influence
Dashboards let users explore data by suburbs, councils, or remote regions, reflecting the way governments divide areas. This alignment strengthens advocacy by making it easier for decision-makers to understand where support is most needed and how it connects to national goals like Closing the Gap.
• Governance uplift and support systems
The platform includes:
- Defined data roles and policies
- Access rules and data masking for privacy and personally identifiable information (PII) protection
- Archiving and data retention strategies
- An integrated ticketing system for internal requests and issue resolution
• Ownership and long-term sustainability
Every part of the implementation was designed to build internal capability.
- SNAICC received tailored training, documentation, and change management
- Clear handover and support plans were developed to reduce reliance on vendors
- Future growth is supported through scalable design and flexible architecture
This approach ensures the platform remains a sustainable, fit-for-purpose solution that SNAICC can control and evolve — critical for maintaining independence and data sovereignty.
SNAICC now has a centralised, secure, and accessible environment to store, clean, analyse, and visualise complex data, in ways that reflect community needs and advocacy priorities.
The multi-layered solution using Microsoft Azure, Databricks, and Qlik Cloud Analytics, ensures that data is securely managed, transformed, and translated into meaningful insights.
Key outcomes include:
• Advocacy is now backed by robust, location-specific data aligned to federal goals and Closing the Gap targets
• Policy and campaign efforts are data-informed, using plain-language and visual dashboards that help tell community stories and identify gaps
• Internal users have access to insights that match their technical levels driving adoption and embedding the platform into daily operations
• Strong security controls built into Azure and Databricks protect sensitive datasets while supporting SNAICC’s data sovereignty
• Clear governance and support channels are in place, with sustainable processes owned by SNAICC
• The platform is already influencing discussions with government and sector stakeholders and serves as a model for broader sector data uplift
SNAICC’s work includes putting forward innovative reforms and evidence-based solutions to identified priorities. Data enables that mission, giving the organisation a stronger voice, sharper evidence, and a sustainable foundation for long-term influence.
This project is a powerful example of what’s possible when data capability is built in partnership with the communities it’s intended to support. And when human-centred design, cultural alignment, and advocacy impact are prioritised equally.
By embedding control, sustainability, and flexibility into the solution, this project has strengthened SNAICC’s ability to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, now and into the future.
“One of the reasons that we chose Notitia was that they really aligned with our core values. A really important part of choosing a vendor, for us, was making sure that we had someone that we could work really well with and understand what we were trying to do."
SNAICC is the national non-governmental peak body representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. With a mandate to advocate for strong, safe, healthy, and self-determining children connected to family and culture, SNAICC works across policy, research, sector development, and national campaigns like Family Matters.
Melbourne based, SNAICC plays a critical role in advising government, influencing national frameworks like Closing the Gap, and partnering with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to deliver better outcomes for children. Their work is grounded in the principles of community-led decision-making, cultural safety, and evidence-based advocacy.
