The Australian Children's Trust was established by Nicola and Andrew Forrest in 2001 with the aim of assisting underprivileged children and addressing the needs of youth. However as the work of the Trust has continued and its ethos developed, the core focus has broadened to the mandate of ‘helping people to help themselves'. Rather than providing one-off, short-term solutions, the Trust believes there are greater benefits to be gained by nurturing and instilling self-belief through education, personal development and ongoing support. In order to fulfill such aims, the Trust partners with and supports a number of different organisations working to make a measurable difference and positive contribution to the Australian community.