Play Summit

In September the Commissioner for Children and Young People sponsored the 2024 Play Summit, a one-day conference in support of children's right to play, organised by Play Matters Collective.

Play Matters is a group of organisations and individuals with a shared vision to ensure that children's right to play is upheld for all children in Western Australia. 

The Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones is patron of Play Matters. 

The purpose of the Summit was to bring together community leaders and organisations to listen to young people’s views and focus on better advocating for children’s right to play. 

The Commissioner’s opening remarks touched on children’s universal right to play, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. She raised the importance of play for all children and young people in developing core skills for their positive health, wellbeing and resilience. She also said play helps children build their own identity and strengthen their relationships with others. 

The Summit began with a panel of eight young people aged between 12 and 17 years who shared their thoughts on how they wished adults could better support them to play, and discussed what play means to them.

The second session interactively explored the many faces of play modalities and was facilitated by Dr Marie Martin. It also touched on the need for further advocacy to ensure play is accessible for all children, including those in marginalised groups who experience barriers to being able to play in daily life.

The final networking session involved a presentation on the Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas by Project Manager Marketa Reeves. She talked about how the Atlas can be used for free to provide data asset mapping information on children and young people in Western Australia to help analyse and monitor their health and wellbeing.

For more information on the Play Matters Collective visit the website. 

For more information on the Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas visit the website.