CYP Matters

Respect and listening

Development of options for a South Australian Aboriginal Children and Families Peak Body: Final Report
This report reflects the views of Aboriginal people, families, communities and organisations who participated in the State-wide consultation process by sharing their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the future wellbeing of their children and family members. More >

Young people and online privacy: realising young people’s rights in the digital environment
Young Australians live increasingly digital lives. From online classroom teaching to connected toys to digital games to social media, growing up now happens in a digital world with significant implications for their privacy. More >

Enjoying and achieving

The importance of introducing Indigenous languages into schools and early education spaces
Language is intrinsic to understanding and expressing culture; loss of language inherently means loss of culture and identity. For Indigenous children, being able to connect in early childhood with an Indigenous language helps strengthen their sense of belonging and identity.  More >

Lost in space: open-plan classrooms can leave children adrift
Understanding speech in background noise is especially difficult for children under 10, whose auditory systems are still developing as they don’t yet have the language skills to ‘fill-the-gaps’ when only hearing part of what’s said. More >

‘I think the teachers need more help’ – Voices of experience from students with disability in Australia
This survey sought to specifically focus on the voices and perspectives of young people themselves. Prior surveys have elicited some responses from this group but have tended to be primarily completed by families and caregivers. More >

‘That is the language they understand’: why Indigenous students need bilingual teaching at school
Not making the most of children’s First Language competence creates additional learning barriers for Indigenous children. If we really want to ‘close the gap’, our education system needs to support a bilingual environment. More >

Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care Report
This final report contains 43 recommendations and details an ambitious vision for the future of early childhood education and care in South Australia. More >

Participation

Growing up, Chloe Hayden didn’t see people like her in the media. Now she’s leading the change
Struggling to find her place in the world after being diagnosed with autism, Chloé started an anonymous blog with the goal of sharing her journey and finding other people that were like just her.  More >

Preventing gendered violence: what we have learnt from young people
Shifting young people’s attitudes around gender and violence is one of the most effective forms of primary prevention. Flexible and creative co-design takes a youth-focused approach to prevention of family and domestic violence. More >

Pilot OSHC program finds that co-design and agency boosts children’s social wellbeing
Connect, Promote and Protect allows children to engage in the design process and gives them a voice and role to shape their own experience and can play a role in building children’s wellbeing and social connection. More >

Tumut teenagers touched by Black Summer bushfires create art for Burning Generation exhibition
Young people are passionate about climate change and natural disasters, but often the voices heard live in big cities. Rural young people don’t have enough of a voice and are disproportionately affected by things like bushfire. More >

Youth Development Engagement Guide ‘Keepin’ it real’
The value of young people’s voice in decision making is because ‘they are the future’, but it’s often overlooked that young people have valuable perspectives, experiences, and ideas that can enrich decision making right now. More >

Prepared for adult life

Nunga Driving program helps Riverland Indigenous drivers get their licences
For young people living in regional and remote Australia, a driver’s licence isn’t just important for independence, it’s a necessity. But some struggle to gain mandatory learner hours when no-one else in the family has a licence.  More >

Model Tully Heinrich swaps farming for fashion as she lives her dream on catwalks of New York, Paris
Tully Heinrich urges girls to not give up on their ambitions, even if the world they want to be a part of seems far from where they currently live. More >

Health and wellbeing

Mental Health Care Needs and Outcomes of Young People Transitioning from Out-of-Home Care in Australia
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are recognised globally as a vulnerable group. One specific challenge for care leavers pertains to advancing their mental health and well-being.  More >

Experts highlight barriers to mental health support as major factor in youth homelessness
More than 122,000 Australians had nowhere safe to sleep according to the 2021 Census, with nearly a quarter of those aged between 12 and 24. The requirement for a fixed address, an ID, possibly parental consent, are all things the young person that’s homeless may not be able to provide. More >

Trouble with veggie intake? Try offering them to toddlers for breakfast, researchers say
This study wanted to see if it was possible to influence eating behaviours in early life, before biases about which foods are deemed ‘appropriate’ to eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner are learned. More >

All Queensland high schools gain access to leading anti-vaping program
Queensland schools are set to benefit from a $5m boost to tackle student vaping after the state’s government announced the expansion of a successful alcohol and drug education program. More >

Urban sprawl is ‘not a dirty word’? If the priority is to meet all kids’ needs, it should be
Evidence of the need to halt urban sprawl is now overwhelming. The spruiking of greenfield developments as affordable and good for young families with children is at odds with their experiences of these developments.  More >

Youth wellbeing takes a hit: Study reveals prolonged pandemic’s toll on children
In a recently published study, researchers from the University of South Australia found evidence that children’s mental health and overall wellbeing have seen a gradual decline, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. More >

Women’s and Children’s Hospital schooling program helping young patients with mental health needs
This program launched by Hospital Schools SA last year, based on a model developed in late 2019 in response to the growing number of young people presenting with complex mental health needs, has attracted global interest. More >

Vaping found to be the biggest risk factor for teenage tobacco smoking
The 2017 Australian Secondary School Students Alcohol and Drug Survey has found e-cigarette use is the single strongest risk factor for adolescents taking up tobacco smoking, outranking social norms, poor mental health and misperceptions about smoking harms. More >

Safe and nurtured

More support needed for parents as Senate report into school refusals outlines path for change
‘School can’t’ is a better term than ‘school refusal’ for the young people it affects, many of whom are neurodivergent or live with learning disabilities, as students can be so overwhelmed non-attendance isn’t really a choice. More >

The questions kids ask show the changing reality of sex education
Widespread access to the internet and the terabytes of graphic and often violent pornography it hosts has given rise to a fresh set of concerns: if children and teenagers are left to go looking for answers to their awkward questions on Google, what exactly will they find? More >

When should kids graduate to the front seat? Kidsafe urges parents to rethink child restraints
Parents are being urged not to rush their children out of booster seats and to consider a child’s height as well as age to best protect their most precious cargo when travelling in a car. More >

First reports of children using AI to bully their peers using sexually explicit generated images
ESafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says there must be regulatory scrutiny of the tech industry to ensure safety is integrated into its products. Suggested options include building in visible and invisible watermarks to prove content is AI generated. More >