CYP Matters

Respect and listening

Youth democracy: a crucial pillar for our collective futures
Across the globe, young individuals are increasingly recognising the power of their voices and the impact they can have on shaping the world around them. More >

Refugee students’ views about how schools can foster resilience
This report unpacks and interprets data that research generated with 49 students across seven participating schools in South Australia and Queensland. Analysis identified seven themes that reflect the views of refugee-background students about their schooling experiences. More >

Engage! A strategy to include young people in the decisions we make
Young people are active community members and are engaged in the events and issues impacting Australia. This strategy will make possible an ongoing, genuine partnership between young people and the Government. More >

‘Children’s views must be central to election manifestos’
Despite being fully ‘engaged’ with the world and full of practical solutions, a generation of UK children are being ‘frustrated and disempowered’ because their experiences are not being reflected in decision-making processes.  More >

Enjoying and achieving

A Place to Play: Working Towards Fairness of Place for All Children
This webinar recording looks at how play and a family’s access to safe green spaces, like parks and playgrounds, support early development. However, access to safe, stimulating, and joyful play space is not equally distributed. More >

Spreading success: why Australia should trial multi-school organisations
Running highly effective schools is difficult. Regional supports and loose, collaborative school networks, designed to help tackle these challenges, are limited in the actions they can take to drive real improvement. The result is a system in which schools are expected to provide an excellent education, but often feel poorly supported to do so. More >

Autism assessment funding to help Adelaide school students get earlier access
Cost and wait times are barriers often faced when trying to access autism assessment in Australia. A new trial by the SA Government will provide free autism assessments for up to 100 students in Adelaide’s northern suburbs who may be facing socio-economic barriers, who are struggling academically and are at risk of dropping out. More >

Footprints in Time: the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children: Primary School Report
rimary schools play a central role in supporting student learning, wellbeing, and connectedness. The Footprints in Time study provides a platform for centring Indigenous voices, connecting stories, and exploring emerging themes related to the experience of Indigenous children and families in the Australian education system. More >

New research finds Australian children who attend ‘Playgroups’ are more likely to be developmentally on track
New research has found Australian children who attend a ‘Playgroup’ are 47 percent more likely to be developmentally on track when they start primary school and experience protection against developmental vulnerability. More >

Plastic fantastic or nature-based playgrounds: Which is best for children’s development?
Colourful slides and metal monkey bars are the mainstay of local playgrounds. But look around and you’ll notice a growing trend for natural elements in children’s play spaces. So, which is better for children’s development? More >

Participation

What is biophilic design? 3 ways ‘green’ buildings work better for neurodivergent people
One in seven people worldwide are neurodivergent and may have a diagnosis such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or autism. Neurodivergent people often experience sensory overload and feel overwhelmed by sound or other elements around them. Research shows nature can help children with autism tolerate and process information. More >

Putting the Kids in Charge: Giving young people responsibility and agency helps them flourish.
Sure, teens and preteens can be moody and hormonal. They can have difficulty managing emotions and navigating the transition toward adulthood. But they can also be capable, focused, and helpful. This requires the adults in their lives to let go of the reins a bit and give young people responsibility, autonomy, and agency. More >

Prepared for adult life

A generation adrift: Why young people are less happy and what we can do about it
The latest World Happiness Report unveils a concerning reality: young people worldwide now report lower happiness levels than their elders. More >

Pathways, engagement and transitions: Experiences of early school leavers
Over the last decade, school completion rates in Australia have seen at least one in five young people not finish Year 12. With nine in 10 new jobs expected to require post-secondary qualifications, understanding the transition from school to study, training or work and supporting more young people to complete Year 12 is essential.  More >

Unstable employment while you’re young can set you up for a wage gap later in life – even if you eventually land full-time work
As they kick off their careers, young people in Australia often have to navigate a maze of short-term and casual jobs, and many of them may also wish to work more hours than their current jobs allow, leading to ‘underemployment’. But just how common are these experiences, and what effect do they have on their future wage prospects?. More >

Health and wellbeing

The extent and nature of poverty in Australia: final report
Poverty is a multifaceted social and economic story of deprivation and disadvantage that impacts over three million people in Australia today. Every one of these Australians has the potential to suffer debilitating economic, social, political, and personal difficulties that can severely restrict their ability to live fulfilling and contributing lives.  More >

The kids who fear school
A growing crisis of school refusal is gripping Australia, leaving families in a hidden struggle. For the education system, it raises fundamental questions about whether schools can actually include every child. More >

Groups call for federal action on youth homelessness
More than 37,000 young people approached specialist homelessness services in 2022-2023, including 9000 aged 15 to 17 years. The fact that 44 per cent of children and young people using homelessness services are still homeless after getting help is a stark reflection of the lack of housing options for this group. More >

Cultural wellbeing linked to better health outcomes for First Nations and CALD populations
Transferred intergenerationally, culture includes the artefacts of today’s life; collective expressions of norms and values, shared memories, belief systems and knowledge and plays a critical role in health and wellbeing.  More >

Child Social Exclusion Report Index
Child Social Exclusion is a multi-dimensional measure of child disadvantage which extends the concept of child poverty to reflect the extent to which children lack the opportunities and resources to participate fully in their communities. More >

Early Years Strategy 2024-2034
Recognising how critical the early years are for children’s development and continued success over their lifetime, the Strategy articulates how the Australian Government will prioritise and support child-centred policy development, and target investment in early years supports and services over the next 10 years. More >

Thinking differently: A manifesto on how prevention and early intervention can close the gap in children and young people’s mental health
The Thinking differently manifesto from the UK uses a five point plan, driven by science and what a team of Young Champions tell us will help the most, which ,if implemented, will transform the mental health of a generation.  More >

New mental health program for Adelaide youth
Designed for young people who experience barriers to accessing mental health care, this program offers outreach and telehealth options to allow young people to receive support in a time, place and format that suits them.  More >

As hyper-masculine content floods social media, a ‘healthier’ men’s movement is stepping up
Tom Harkin is on a mission; he runs workshops for teenage boys with his organisation Tomorrow Man, to challenge stereotypes of masculinity and help participants express emotions in a healthy way. More >

Safe and nurtured

Meeting Family Needs: A multi-system framework for family and child wellbeing
There is increasing momentum within the child welfare system to prevention of child welfare involvement by ensuring that family needs are addressed earlier through an integrated and holistic child and family wellbeing system. More >

We teach school kids about safe sex. We need to teach safe sexting too
A 2021 survey of almost 7,000 Australian teenagers (aged 14 to 18) found sexting was ‘ordinary practice’ for young people. Of those surveyed, 86% reported they had received sexts and 70% said they had sent them. More >

A (cycle) path to a safer global cycling infrastructure for children and young people
For children and young people, cycling represents not just a means of getting from point A to point B, but a gateway to freedom, exploration, and independence. As cities grapple with the complexities of urban planning and transportation, a pressing question arises: Are cities worldwide truly cycle-friendly for children and young people?  More >

Why language matters: how referring to online ‘friends’ can mask safeguarding concerns
In assuming that an online relationship is healthy because the child considers the other person a ‘friend,’ we may fail to recognise when power imbalances are at play. We may even legitimise the ‘friendship’ in the child’s mind. More >

Does labelling racism as bullying perpetuate a colour-blind approach when working with CALD families?
Defining the connection and differences between bullying and racism helps in framing responses to ensure tailored support and cultural safety for children and families while addressing systemic conditions.  More >

Exploring what young people know, think and do about child abuse
This UK research used surveys and focus groups with young people aged 12–14 to find out what they know, think, and would do about child abuse, and to explore how that learning could be used to benefit other young people. More >