Building a secure future: Australian children and young people’s safety, security and protection

In April 2023, ARACY and UNICEF Australia released The Wellbeing of Australia’s Children Index, to show what life is like for children and young people in Australia. The Index explores how we can make Australia the best place in the world to grow up.

Each year, ARACY and UNICEF Australia examines a different domain of The Nest – the wellbeing frame used in the Index. As we prepare to launch the next paper in this series “Building a secure future: A review of Australian children and young people’s safety, security and protection“ this webinar will take a closer look into the relationships between child maltreatment, family violence and the Child Protection and Youth Justice systems.

While many children and young people in Australia grow up feeling safe and supported, this is not the reality for all. Exposure to violence, crime, bullying, and systemic issues such as poverty and intergenerational trauma continue to affect too many young lives, often with long-lasting consequences.

Join us for an insightful webinar exploring the latest findings on how children and young people are faring in the Valued, Loved and Safe domain. We’ll discuss key findings and shine a spotlight on the complex interplay between child maltreatment, the child protection system, and youth justice – and what it means when young people navigate more than one of these systems.

We are pleased to have Professor Daryl Higgins, Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at ACU and lead investigator from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study join Oliver White, Chair of NAPCAN’s youth council Youth Speak Out for our panel discussion facilitated by Katie Maskiell, Head of Policy and Advocacy at UNICEF Australia.