Commission for Children and Young People Victoria

Wear it Purple Day is fast approaching, so we’re sharing some tips for supporting LGBTQIA young people to feel safe in your organisation.   Many LGBTQIA young people experience discrimination, harassment and violence, which can make it harder for them to let someone know if they’re feeling unsafe or being harmed. This is why it's important to participate in events like these and make it clear that all children and young people are welcome, respected and celebrated in your organisation. They should feel able to express their identity and raise concerns about their own or others’ safety.   Paying particular attention to the needs of LGBTQIA young people is also a minimum requirement of Child Safe Standard 5 in Victoria, which requires organisations to ensure equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.   Check out our tips below for making your organisation safe for LGBTQIA children and young people and complying with Child Safe Standard 5.   You can find more information about Child Safe Standard 5 on our website: https://lnkd.in/dntbEebE   To get involved with Wear it Purple Day on Friday, head to: https://lnkd.in/fgh9PaX

“Locking kids up makes it worse”. This is what the Australian Human Rights Commission heard from one of the 150 children they spoke to for their new report: ‘Help way earlier!’   The report calls for transformational change in the way we respond to youth offending in Australia. We wholeheartedly support the recommendations to tackle the root causes of offending, and improve early intervention supports for vulnerable children. We also support the recommendation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and we will continue to advocate for this here in Victoria.   Read the recommendations and the supporting evidence here: https://lnkd.in/gjdjyz2s

"The decision to now abandon the staged move to 14 in 2027 has let children and young people down, particularly children from disadvantaged backgrounds, children who have experienced trauma, mental ill health or live with disability." - Meena Singh   Read our full response to the decision here: https://lnkd.in/gZvpwDUw

Over the weekend we joined the National Kinship, Permanent & Foster Care Conference in Melbourne. It was a great opportunity to meet some incredible people and to share some of our child safety resources. 📄 Commissioner Liana Buchanan spoke to the conference about the contribution carers make to child protection and their rights. She also spoke on a panel about carers and the law. 🎤 Thank you to all the carers and workers to came and said hello to us, it was fantastic to meet so many inspiring people and chat about child safety.

We tabled our report Let us learn: Systemic inquiry into the educational experiences of children and young people in out-of-home care in the Victorian Parliament in November 2024. The Victorian Government’s response to the report and the 47 recommendations is now available. Find it here: https://lnkd.in/gq2geUCu

“Our communities are the experts in keeping our children well, safe, and strong. We have the answers. We have the solutions.” Our latest Youth Voices piece has been written by the brilliant Elias, who speaks about his experiences of racism and why authentic engagement with Aboriginal communities needs to be at the centre of establishing culturally safe environments. We think everyone should read this important piece: https://lnkd.in/gZaj53Jv

August 4 marked National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day, with this year's theme being 'Strong in Culture, Stronger Together'. This theme reminds us to think about the thousands of years of culture that has been passed down through generations, and how important culture is for the wellbeing of Aboriginal children and young people. Every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child deserves to feel loved and safe and have the opportunity to be themselves, no matter where they are. In Victoria, Child Safe Standard 1 legally requires organisations to establish culturally safe environments. Our new resources will help organisations, groups, businesses and clubs to meet this requirement and establish a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal children and young people. Find the resources here: https://lnkd.in/gzJEqhHZ #StronginCulture #StrongerTogether #ChildrensDay

📑 New resources! Our new guide is now available: Understanding cultural safety for Aboriginal children and young people. It includes lots of insights, tools and tips to help you meet the requirements of Child Safe Standard 1. You can find all the resources on our website, including the frequently asked questions with Commissioner Meena Singh! Find the resources here: https://lnkd.in/gzJEqhHZ

Congratulations to all the finalists of the 2024 Victorian Protecting Children Awards! 👏 👏 You can find the full list of finalists here: https://lnkd.in/gqbhADX9

💡 Do you want to learn more about the recent changes to the Reportable Conduct Scheme? 💻 Register for our upcoming webinar on Monday 12 August. The webinar will run for one hour and will focus on the changes to workers covered by the Reportable Conduct Scheme. 📝 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gTHsfaka Read more about the changes: https://lnkd.in/g7bqmi9s