Valuing Children Initiative

🎉 Exciting news! VCI News is OUT NOW! 🌟 Join us in Celebrating Children Every Week - because every child deserves to be valued. Check out some highlights from our events! #VCINews #CelebrateChildren https://lnkd.in/gNxSj6Qp

Help way earlier!’ – transforming child justice report by The Australian Human Rights Commission, focuses on transforming child justice through early intervention. This publication highlights the need to value children and provide them with the early support they need to thrive. 'Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing investigates opportunities for reform of child justice and related systems across Australia based on children’s rights and sound evidence. The report includes the voices of children and their families, and stakeholder submissions, interviews and roundtables. The treatment of children in the criminal justice system, some as young as 10 years old, is one of the most urgent human rights issues facing Australia today. Children and young people in this report spoke about what is needed to prevent children’s contact with the child justice system. Their insights confirm that crime committed by children is a symptom of children’s needs not being met. “Tragically, by not addressing their human rights early on, and instead taking a punitive approach to their offending, we are essentially criminalising some of the most vulnerable children in Australia.” National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds 🌟 Head to our website to see the full report 🌟 At The Valuing Children Initiative (VCI), we believe every child deserves to be treated with dignity and respect! Let's work together to champion children's rights! #ValuingChildren #ChildRights #ChildJustice #EarlyIntervention #HelpWayEarlier #ValueChildren #ProtectChildren #VCI #Advocacy https://lnkd.in/gbmjvMaa

Across Australia, thousands of children are trapped in the cycle of poverty, with limited access to quality education and support. Many are left behind in underfunded schools, struggling without the resources they need to succeed. This cannot continue. The recent ABC report highlights the urgent need to address child poverty and the education crisis in our country. Now is the time to stand up and demand action for these children and their futures. Every child deserves a fair chance to thrive. 🌱📚 Join the fight to End Child Poverty and ensure that no child is left behind. Together, we can advocate for better policies, more funding, and real change. Take action now and make a difference in their lives! ✊💬 Head to the website to take action!  #EndChildPoverty #EqualEducation #ChildRights #EveryChildMatters #TakeAction #AdvocateForChange#Nochildinpoverty #ValuingChildrenInitiative #LegislatetoEndChildPoverty https://lnkd.in/gwBEt8b3

✨ It’s National Children’s Week! ✨ Time to Celebrate and Advocate for Our Kids! 💛 🌟 While every week is Children’s Week at VCI, this week (Nov 18-27) is National Children’s Week! 🌱 It’s a special time for all adults to celebrate the incredible kids in our community and stand up for their rights. This year’s theme shines a light on Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: "Children have the right to good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food, and a clean environment so that they will stay healthy." 💧🥕🫧 Let’s come together to make sure our kids are living their healthiest, happiest lives! What’s one thing you think we can all do to support children’s health and wellbeing? Let us know in the comments #NationalChildrensWeek #KidsRights #UNCRC #Article24 #HealthyKids #VCI #CleanWater #NutritiousFood #ChildrensHealth #CelebrateKids #AustraliaCares #ValuingChildren #LegislatetoEndChildPoverty #Nochildinpoverty #ValuingChildrenInitiative https://lnkd.in/geYgHF8G

📢 What an incredible day in Bassendean! 🎉 We teamed up with the Town Team Movement and the Road Safety Commission for the Streets Alive Project—giving kids the chance to tell us what makes their streets safe (or not!) for play. From riding bikes 🚴♀️ and chalk art 🎨 to soccer ⚽ and more, the kids shared awesome ideas on how we can make their neighbourhoods safer and more fun! Afterwards, we threw a street party with the legends at Hello Basso! 🎈 The road was closed, and hundreds of families enjoyed stalls run by local kids, homemade treats, bubbles, bike tracks, cubby building, a sausage sizzle 🌭 from the local men’s shed, and heaps more! 🥳 Huge thanks to the kids who shared their thoughts and to everyone who made the day such a success! 🙌 Keen to host a street party in your area? Get in touch with us and let’s make it happen! 🏡✨ #ValuingChildren #StreetsAlive #SafeStreets #PlayMatters #Bassendean #CommunitySpirit #HelloBasso #ChildrensVoices #PlayAndSafety #NeighbourhoodFun @TownTeamMovement @HelloBasso @RoadSafetyCommissionWesternAustralia

End Child Poverty Campaign: A Voice for Children at Australia’s Parliament House We took a vital step forward in our fight against child poverty by holding our first national campaign catch-up on the front lawn of Australia’s Parliament House. It was a powerful gathering, where we united to present our case to the Parliamentary Friends of Poverty and walk the halls of Parliament, ensuring that the voices of children living in poverty are heard where it matters most. In light of the ongoing cost of living and housing crisis, we recognize that families are facing unprecedented challenges. Our mission is clear: we must urge our decision-makers to consider the profound impacts of these issues on children. By measuring and defining child poverty, we aim to prevent more children from experiencing the hardships that come with it. Our campaign is backed by a coalition of passionate advocates, including @ Mission Australia Toni Wren Paul Wright Cadhla O'Sullivan Sharon Bessell Families Australia Catholicsocialservic Service UnitingCare Australia St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia Alicia Payne Centrecare We want you to be part of this crucial work! Join us in the campaign to end child poverty and help us advocate for a brighter future for all children in Australia. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.

We need the reality of child poverty to become common knowledge among all Australians. These uncomfortable conversations are crucial for sparking the action needed to address our national child poverty crisis! During Anti-Poverty Week 2024, the Valuing Children Initiative stood alongside organisations to demand action. Foodbank WA Centrecare St Patrick's Community Support Centre 54 reasons Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) Australian Human Rights Commission Youthgovau Minderoo Foundation Kate O'Hara Louise Giolitto Fraser Beattie Chris Twomey 12 Buckets Inc Larissa Muir Justice, Ecology and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Shelter WA Kath Snell Wanslea Jo Sadler Daryl Higgins Mason Rothwell Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) MercyCare Anglicare WA Joshua Patrick We displayed 100 teddy bears, including 17 orange bears, to symbolize the staggering reality that 17 in 100 Australian children live in poverty. These bears represent safety and security—the very basics every child deserves. Our message is clear: it’s time for the government to take real steps to end child poverty in Australia. Every child deserves the chance to grow up safe, secure, and supported. We need your support to make this happen. Sign the petition today at endchildpoverty.com.au. #AntiPovertyWeek2024 #ValuingChildrenInitiative #ValuingChildren #TakeAction #NoMoreExcuses #ListeningDay #EndChildPoverty #MakeADifference #NoChildInPoverty #Australia #LegislateToEndChildPoverty

Unless we solve child poverty, how will we solve poverty for everyone?  It’s time to END child poverty in Australia. Every child deserves a fair start. Join us today.  📄 Sign the petition and call for legislation to end child poverty. 📧 Submit your logo to pledge organisational support. 🎨 Download the End Child Poverty poster and display it at your workplace. 💻 Use the social media tiles to raise awareness. Together, we can create a future where no child is left behind.  #Nochildinpoverty #AntiPovertyWeek #APW24 #EndChildPoverty #LegislatetoEndChildPoverty #ValuingChildrenInitiative https://lnkd.in/gW667_pW

Every Teddy Tells a Story: Join the Movement to End Child Poverty! ‘Listening Day’ at Government House, an essential gathering for Anti-Poverty Week that focused on one of Australia’s most pressing challenges: child poverty. The day united advocates, organisations, and community leaders committed to driving meaningful change. We heard powerful testimonies from speakers like Joshua Patrick, who shared his personal experience of growing up in poverty, and Kim, a youth speaker who highlighted the urgent need for both immediate and long-term solutions. The event was further enriched by a moving performance from Indigo Ellis, reminding us all of the collective responsibility we share. One of the event's striking visuals was the display of 100 teddy bears, including 17 orange bears representing the alarming statistic that 17 in 100 Australian children live in poverty. This served as a poignant reminder of the realities faced by many children in our communities and the urgent need for coordinated action. The End Child Poverty Campaign needs to become common knowledge, and we invite everyone in Australia to join us in this critical fight. 👉 Sign the petition to End Child Poverty now! Together, we have the power to create lasting change and ensure that no child is left behind. #EndChildPoverty #AntiPovertyWeek #ListeningDay #ChildPoverty Joshua Patrick Valuing Children Initiative Centrecare Foodbank WA Anti-Poverty Week Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) Anglicare WA Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) MercyCare

Media release October 17, 2024 New figures project nearly 1million Australian children would be living in poverty by the end of 2024, prompting more than 70 Western Australian corporate and notfor profit organisations to call on the Federal Government to introduce legislation to prevent further children experiencing the devastating effects of poverty. Australia’s unprecedented cost of living and housing crisis has resulted in another 102,000 children living below the poverty in Australia, 21,000 of which are here in WA, according to data analysis by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. Speaking out during Anti-Poverty Week, the End Child Poverty campaign has garnered 140 partners across Australia, 72 in WA. The campaign, run by the Valuing Children Initiative, a project by Centrecare, are calling for a definition, measure and response to child poverty through legislation in the Australia Parliament. READ MORE : https://lnkd.in/gug6mnPD Anti-Poverty Week Centrecare Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) Foodbank WA Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) 12 Buckets Inc Valuing Children Initiative #antipovertyweek #endchildpoverty #raisetherate #fairhousingfuture #apw24