Agency Performance - Enhance the Commissioner's reach and influence

Enhance the Commissioner’s reach and influence

Profile of Children and Young People in WA 2024

The annual Profile of Children and Young People in Western Australia was published in early 2024.

The report provides a demographic profile of WA’s 644,000 children and young people. It includes a focus on children and young people who experience vulnerability and hardship such as those in the juvenile justice system, who are in out-of-home care, who have a disability or who are living in poverty.

The report is a component of the Commissioner’s Wellbeing Monitoring Framework and can be used by government and non-government organisations to help them allocate resources for children and young people across WA.

 Read the Profile of Children and Young People in WA 2024 Report.

Public commentary

There are many ways in which the Commissioner advocates for WA’s children and young people, raising awareness of the issues affecting their wellbeing and encouraging positive change in our society.

The Commissioner makes public comment in the media where it is in the best interests of WA children and young people. In 2023−24 the Commissioner advocated for children and young people in the youth justice system and promoted issues around education, the wellbeing of young women, access to childcare for children with complex needs and disabilities, and to encourage young people to participate in the Your Environment: Your Say survey.

The Commissioner’s messages around health, mental health, education, the early years, child poverty, children with disabilities and youth justice reached a wide audience through three opinion pieces in the West Australian newspaper and Broome Advertiser, and interviews with 7News, ABC radio stations – both regional and metropolitan, 6DBY :Larrkardi Radio Derby plus national appearances on 10 News Midday discussing better outcomes for Aboriginal Children and Young People on Closing the Gap Day with Narelda Jacobs, and also on the ABC Midday news program discussing youth crime statistics with Ros Childs.

Significant issues including the tragic death (alleged suicide) of a young person while in detention at Unit18, the acquittal of a 10-year-old Kununurra boy who stole a vehicle and drove at a police officer, and a Broome tradesman that detained three young children with cable ties after finding them swimming in the pool of a vacant property also attracted national media interest. As did media regarding a National Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People, Federal Government changes to shared parental responsibility and the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl at Perth Children’s Hospital.

The Commissioner also maintains an active presence on social media and networking platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). The number of followers of most platforms grew between 10-20 per cent in the past financial year, compared to 2022-2023.

Sponsorships

The Commissioner sponsors several awards that recognise the contributions of organisations and individuals which work to improve the lives of children and young people, in addition to awards that celebrate the contributions of children and young people in the community.

WA Youth Awards
The Commissioner continued her support of the WA Youth Awards which is managed by the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia. The category sponsored by the Commissioner in 2023 was the Participate Award, which recognises a young person aged 12 to 17 years who has shown outstanding dedication to making a positive change in their community and who has inspired their peers.

There were 16 nominations received in this category which was subsequently narrowed down to four finalists. Dillian Cumming was announced as the winner of the Participate Award who is an active ally and advocate for LGBTQIA+SB, First Nations and transgender young people.

Award for Best Practice in Children’s Consultation
The Commissioner continued her support of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Achievement Awards through sponsorship of the ‘Commissioner for Children and Young People Award for Best Practice in Children’s Consultation’. The category recognises excellence in listening to and using the views of children and young people to achieve significant outcomes.

The City of Melville was the winner of this award in December 2023 for their youth-led approach in their development of their publication ‘Directions from Young People Youth Strategy 2022-2025’.

A Special Commendation went to YACWA Consulting through Youth Affairs Council of WA.

Voices in Action conference (CREATE)
The 2024 CREATE conference ‘Voices in Action: Your Stories. Stronger Together’ brought young people, carers and professionals together in Adelaide in March 2024 to collaborate and provide an in-depth exploration of key issues identified by children and young people with a care experience, to discuss solutions to improve the care sector.

The Commissioner sponsored a young person with lived experience in care to attend, accompanied by a CCYP staff member.

The conference included presentations from industry leaders, interactive workshops and opportunities to connect and collaborate. It was a valuable learning opportunity, which provided insight into the experiences of children and young people in care, advocates and service providers.

YAL Connect scholarship
The Commissioner has committed to supporting young children facing barriers through sponsoring a scholarship in the Young Australia League scholarship program, YAL Connect. Nominations opened 15 June 2024 and will close on 31 July 2024.

The successful applicants will be advised in 2024. The two-year scholarship will provide financial assistance for young people entering Year 10 or Year 11 in 2025 who are facing barriers to achieving their educational goals. More details will be provided in the 2024-2025 annual report.

Collaboration

Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and advocates Group (ANZCCGA) 
The Commissioner is Co-chair of the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (ANZCCGA) group, which promotes the safety, wellbeing, and rights of children and young people in Australia and New Zealand. ANZCCGA advocates for children and young people participation in decision-making and encouraging systemic improvement in areas like child poverty, housing, mental health, child protection, and youth justice to promote better future for all Australian children and young people.

The ANZCCGA has 11 priority areas.
1. Advocate for, and support the introduction of, a National Commissioner to advance the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people across Australia, in collaboration with jurisdictional first nations Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates. Alongside this, we will also promote the need for consistency of independence, powers and commensurate resourcing for dedicated Commissioners and Guardians for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in each jurisdiction.

2. Lend our authority in the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart including discussions about a Voice to Parliament and make Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people’s voices heard.

3. Influence the Closing the Gap agenda at a national and jurisdictional level on relevant targets concerning children, young people, and families; ensuring that we lend our legislative powers to leverage systemic change for better outcomes.

4. Support a strengthening of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector that is equitably resourced to design and lead child protection and youth justice responses for our children and families and develop culturally appropriate models to improve family-led decision making at the community level.

5. Implement a nationally consistent approach to monitoring over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in child protection and youth justice systems, applying Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles. 

6. Commit to ongoing advocacy to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 years nationally highlighting that detention in youth and adult facilities or watchhouses is harmful and re-traumatising to children and young people, can increase criminogenic behaviours, is inhumane, and deprives children and young people of their basic rights.

7. Advocate to end harmful and inhumane practices that violate the human rights of children and young people detained, including solitary confinement, the use of spit hoods and detention in adult facilities.

8. Monitor the interpretation and application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle, with a particular focus on consistency of approach on a national basis. Primacy must be placed on the preservation and reunification of families to prevent children being removed, including babies taken from hospital and birthing units, and being placed with non-Indigenous carers and in residential care facilities.

9. Raise the visibility of missing children and young people, including those who are self-selecting or self-placing from child protection systems and advocate for a nationally consistent approach in how we identify and publicly report on these children and young people.

10. Promote the difference between poverty and wilful neglect, highlighting that poor families love their children too. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families experiencing poverty are reluctant to seek help when the consequence is often removal of their children.

11. Advocate for greater investment in support services for vulnerable and impoverished families, highlighting that structural disadvantage, prejudice, systemic discrimination and diminished support services exacerbate the marginalisation of impoverished families and lead to increased levels of child removal.

The ANZCCGA is committed to progressing these 11 priorities in alignment with Australia’s commitment to uphold and embed into law the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the United Nations Development Program Sustainable Development Goals.

Joint statements on matters of national importance are published by the ANZCCGA, including items such as prohibiting isolation practices in juvenile detention. 

First Nations Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (FNCCGA) 
The Commissioner is part of the Australian First Nations Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (FNCCGA) the ‘Caucus’. It is a part of the ANZCCGA which addresses matters affecting First Nations children and young people. The ANZCCGA are committed to the self-determination and empowerment of Australia’s First Nations peoples.

At their February 22, 2024, the FNCCGA agreed to designing a project for collective action based on the 11 priorities for their collective effort and action. In addition, they reaffirmed the importance of establishing a dedicated Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in each state and territory.

Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031
The Commissioner is part of three key oversight groups including the Implementation Coordination Committee (ICC), Shared Decision Making Committee (SDMC) and the Senior Oversight Committee (SOC), as a member of the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group.

The Commissioner is also on a number of working groups including: system leadership, accountability and data, and senior coordination groups.

The Partnership Agreement between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group and Commonwealth, State, and Territory governments was signed in March 2024, the purpose of which is to implement the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan.

Internships

Our internships offer a unique and enriching experience that gives students valuable insights into the world of advocacy, policy development, research, and community engagement. In 2023-2024, the Commissioner hosted three interns in the policy, research and evaluation teams from the McCusker Centre for Citizenship and Edith Cowan University. Interns had the opportunity to work on and contribute to the Profile of Children and Young People 2024, Your Environment: Your Say report, and the planning of the Speaking Out Survey 2025.

We thank Simran Kaur, Angela Xu and Mikah Ikonen for their contributions.

UWA Student Research Collaboration

The Commissioner also supported a group of five students from the School of Population and Global Health at the University of Western Australia through an internship to develop their project planning skills. The students undertook a literature
review on the impact of online gambling, gambling-like products and gambling advertising on children and young people.

They used their review to develop a project plan outline for engaging children and young people to understand their experience of online gambling and its impact and proposed recommendations to protect children and young people from the adverse impacts of online gambling and gambling-like products in Western Australia.

This collaborative work will inform the advocacy work of the Commissioner in the coming year.

Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas

The Commissioner is a partner in the development of the Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas. As well as supporting the project through partnership, the Commissioner has been a member of the oversight committee working on the transformation of the WA-based Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas to the now national Atlas, which was launched in November 2023.

This innovative project combines health and wellbeing monitoring metrics, map data and data visualisation. The publicly accessible platform means everyone can see and compare how children and young people’s health and wellbeing is changing over time at a local, state and national level.

Harmful Sexual Behaviours Working Group

The Commissioner is engaged in the Interagency project group working on the development of a statewide framework for understanding and guiding responses to harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people. This project is co-ordinated
by the Australian Centre for Child Protection Research. This project will assist services build a common understanding of how best to support children and young people’s development and respond appropriately to concerning or harmful behaviours.

Play Matters Collective

The Commissioner continued her advocacy work as patron of Play Matters Collective in 2023-2024 to share a vision that all children and young people in Western Australia have access to the right to play. A key component of this work has been in supporting the planning of a Play Summit to be held in the second half of 2024.

Play is a natural instinct and necessary element to healthy human development; it is the means, by which, children learn to navigate their environment and life experiences. Together with Play Matters Collective, the Commissioner celebrated the inaugural International Day of Play on June 11, recognising the significance of play in everyone’s lives – especially children.

An End to Child Poverty

One in six children live below the poverty line in Australia. The Commissioner continues to support the work of the Valuing Children Initiative in advocating for an End to Child Poverty. The Commissioner, along with the ANZCCGA, calls on federal, state and territory governments to legislate to better target child poverty in Australia an introduce a National Child Poverty Reduction Bill.

On 29 May 2024, members of the team attended the ‘Tackling poverty and disadvantage through data-informed decision-making’ roundtable hosted by the Melbourne Institute’s Breaking Down Barriers Project, where they developed their understanding of key issues arising in communicating real-world data regarding poverty and disadvantage.

Early Years Partnership

The Commissioner is a board member of the Early Years Partnership, a partnership between the WA State Government, Minderoo Foundation, and Telethon Kids Institute, working towards better outcomes for children in the early years. Working with four communities across WA, each partnership incorporates a community co-design process to identify barriers to children thriving in their communities, develop targeted community plans and implement evidence-informed solutions. This enables a more coordinated and holistic approach to the provision of early years supports and services for children and families that is lead and implemented by community.

Kimberley Aboriginal Youth Wellbeing Steering Committee

The Commissioner is a member of the Kimberley Aboriginal Youth Wellbeing Steering Committee (KAYWSC). KAWYSC brings together all relevant State Government agencies and Kimberley Aboriginal Community-controlled Organisations to support and enable Aboriginal community-led solutions to improve Aboriginal youth, social and emotional wellbeing outcomes.

Edith Cowan University School of Education Advisory Board 

The Commissioner is a board member of the ECU School of Education Advisory Board. The board provides high level advice to the school about strategic direction and profiling, future directions and focus for course development in response to industry needs, research opportunities, professional development and community engagement.

AI Forum in collaboration with the University of Western Australia

The Commissioner will host an interactive forum for Perth secondary students on 8 August 2024 to explore their questions, concerns and awareness of artificial intelligence.

Presented by Dr Mehwish Nasim, Lecturer at University of Western Australia Lecturer in the School of Physics, Maths and Computing, the findings from this event will help guide the Commissioner’s work on this topic.

The forum will have a particular focus on understanding how young people perceive and engage with artificial intelligence and identifying its potential opportunities and risks.

Child and Adolescent Health Service

On 29 April 2024, three staff members from the policy team attended the First 1000 Days Framework Symposium facilitated by the Child and Adolescent Health Service. As an initial consultation event for the development of the framework, staff members actively engaged in discussion on connection, accessibility and prevention for children and families in the first 1000 days.

Ninety-five attendees across government, non-government, service providers and consumers were attendance. 

The Commissioner presented the closing speech, reiterating the importance of a whole-of-government approach to supporting children and families in getting the best start in life.