The Australian Child Rights Taskforce’s Post

We analysed over 3,000 recommendations from 61 reports and inquiries into child protection and youth justice systems in Australia between 2010 and 2022. What did we find? Six themes repeatedly emerged across the research, suggesting a wealth of existing evidence on how best to support vulnerable children and young people that can guide effective reform. Read the full report now: https://loom.ly/1VK7svc This report was a collaboration with Australian Institute of Family Studies, funded The Ian Potter Foundation. #ChildProtection #YouthJustice

Efficiently and effectively eliminate terrorist criminals is essential for stability, harmony, fruitfulness and creation enhancement. Integrity intelligent cooperation works well and fast for the achievement of that target.

3 THOUSAND RECOMMENDATIONS❗️ That’s how many were analysed as part of a collaboration, to surface and collate insights and direction from 61 child protection and youth justice system focussed inquiries/reports. As a person with experience of the child protection system, I have for many years been imagining possibilities for systems change. For the potential of more investment in family restoring, family resilience, and parent personal mentors. I think of how a system could focus towards wellbeing outcomes for children and families, and could have features of: •Organisational structural change towards centering family resilience work, that prevents child neglect, trauma, and reduces problematic child removal and re-removal. •Making family-restoring practice a distinct expertise of all practitioners that facilitate child-parent & family contact. •Equiping parents who have lived-experience of a family restoration outcome to safely mentor parents who have a child in care. •Paradigmatic change towards individualisation and compatibility of care arrangements for children/young people in care, with emphasis on a child or young person’s self-concept, abilities, preparedness for change, and therapeutic outcomes. •Precepts to set expectations that multi-cultural connections are meaningfully supported for children and young people in care. •System-wide stigma elimination strategies.

"A second child has died in youth detention in less than a year. This devastating death of a child in the care of the state reminds us of all the other children who are suffering every day due to the failure of Australian governments to honor our promise to protect the human rights of our children," said National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds. "Australia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 but has failed to embed its principles into domestic law." “Thousands of children each year are failed by inadequate support from health, education, and social service systems, resulting in the child protection and youth justice systems being chronically overwhelmed. The basic needs of Australia’s most vulnerable children – such as housing, sufficient food, education, and health care – are not being met." “In a rich and developed country, these are preventable problems of our own making. These children are falling through the gaps created by our neglect and the government’s failure to act on decades of evidence." Ms. Hollonds could not have said it better. We need #reform, and we need it #now for the sake of a #better #future for all children. This #NationalChildProtectionWeek, Every Conversation Matters. Let’s take #action, #advocate for #childrenincare, and ensure no child falls through the cracks in our communities. #Everyconversationmatters #Nationalchildprotectionweek2024 #Planandgrow

Recently, I have been highlighting the major challenges facing child protection in the DRC🇨🇩, a country plagued by decades of #conflict and #wars. These challenges underscore the urgent need for comprehensive child protection policies and programs for all educational stakeholders. Implementing these policies is not only about respecting children’s rights but also a crucial step towards promoting the long-term development and stability of the country. Courage (read in French😀) to everyone and every organization working to protect children in schools and communities. What solutions do you think can be applied? You can mention the specific challenges I highlighted and propose solutions. Your ideas might be implemented by organizations working with children in conflict areas—you never know ☺️ #childprotection

It’s National Child Protection Week and this year’s theme is ‘Every conversation matters.’ Conversations matter because they can help us to support the needs of children and young people and address the issues within the systems that are meant to help them. However, these conversations must include the voices of children and young people themselves. Our recent report on improving the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children found that limited opportunities for child voice and participation was one of six systemic issues plaguing Australia’s child protection and youth justice systems. Find out more about what we learned and the recommendations for reform here: https://lnkd.in/gpT4xmVr #NCPW2024 #ChildProtection #ChildSafety #YouthJustice #NationalChildProtectionWeek

📣 ‘𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿!’ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 📣 The Australian Human Rights Commission's new report on child justice calls for transformational change that puts child wellbeing first and addresses the root causes of offending by children. 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. For too long, governments have ignored the evidence that prevention, not punishment, is key to keeping our children and the community safe. We must have a nationally coordinated, child rights-based approach to reform. This is the key to safer communities for all. Read the full report and its recommendations: https://lnkd.in/gjdjyz2s ARACY Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) #AusHumanRights

Youth justice and child protection systems are failing children and young people. We are not learning the lessons that we should have learned from over 60 reports and inquiries into those systems, and over 3000 recommendations. A new report by Australian Institute of Family Studies [https://lnkd.in/gS9z-JZF] identifies the issues which keep emerging from inquiries from 2010-2022. Australia isn't taking enough action on what we know needs to be fixed. We tend to focus on law and order rather than prevention. Only 19% of the 3000 recommendation focused on early intervention and prevention. Six key problems keep emerging: 1. inadequate levels of investment 2. lack of information sharing 3. limited workforce capacity 4. lack of oversight, monitoring and reporting 5. limited opportunities for children to be heard 6. limited self-determination for First Nations children and families Let's focus on implementing recommendations, allocating responsibilities, and setting time frames, rather than conducting more enquiries. Let's turn our energies onto the safety and wellbeing of children. Listen this ABC Radio National podcast by Isabel Moussalli with one of the AIFS authors and others working to support children: - Dr Emily Stevens (Australian Institute of Family Studies) - Siyavash Doostkhah (Youth Affairs Network QLD) - Prof Daryl Higgins (Australian Catholic University) - Anne Hollonds (National Children's Commissioner) https://lnkd.in/gXMuRse5 via @ABCaustralia

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s new report on child justice calls for transformational change that puts child wellbeing first and addresses the root causes of offending by children. I was pleased to contribute a submission to assist the Commission. 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. For too long governments have ignored the evidence that prevention, not punishment, is key to keeping our children and the community safe. We must have a nationally coordinated, child rights-based approach to reform. This is the key to safer communities for all. Read the full report and its recommendations ‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing https://lnkd.in/g_aSVsAU #AusHumanRights #youngpeople