Championing children's rights in Australia. Join us for the release of our Child Rights Practice and Participation Frameworks which guide our approach to working with children and young people in Australia, and have been developed in collaboration with them in order to meet their specific needs.

In this 60-minute session, you'll hear from 54 reasons' CEO, our Head of Practice and Impact Measurement, our Child Rights and Participation Practice Development Manager and our National Policy and Advocacy Lead, as well as our Young Advisors. We'll share insights into how we embed a child rights approach into our services and how this translates into positive outcomes for children in Australia, including:

Child Rights in Practice - Putting child rights at the centre of our practice. The lens through which we see our responsibility is through the eyes of the child – a child i view. We will share how we deliver services using a child rights approach in our practice. The Framework sets out the beliefs, behaviours and approach that we draw on in our work with children. child i view has been designed to guide our practice and support the delivery of high-quality services so that we can fulfil our promise to champion children and their rights.

Child Participation in Practice - Engaging children and young people in meaningful ways matters. The idea that children’s participation is a means to fulfill other rights is critical. Through the way we engage with children and young people we convey value, celebrate and foster strengths, and create physical and psycho-social spaces that encourage children to feel safe and to share in ways that make sense to them. When children feel like their voice matters, and that adults genuinely want to hear what they have to share, we are collectively in a better position to increase protective factors in the lives of children and be a catalyst for systemic change.

Speakers:

matt gardiner, CEO, 54 reasons | As CEO, matt oversees services delivered across every state and territory, including violence prevention, youth services, child development, community development and child wellbeing services. He is on the Board of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and the Chair of the Qld Council of Social Service (QCOSS). Matt is passionate about therapeutic practice, social justice and advocating for systems change. He has held senior executive roles in some of Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisations, and is a leader in innovative models of outcome measurement and contracting.

Kylie Williams – Head of Practice and Impact Measurement, 54 reasons | Kylie has over 25 years experiencing working across a range of services and settings, including significant clinical practice. Kylie's varied experience across the service continuum - from early intervention to clinical therapy and statutory intervention - within non-government, community, education, government, and private practice settings, includes work in rural, regional, and metropolitan locations. Kylie is committed to child safe practices, and a child's rights lens underpins both her professional and personal life. Kylie believes children's views are integral to evidence-informed social work practice. Respecting a child's experiences is fundamental to ensuring their voice is placed at the core of any planning, decision making, and service delivery. Kylie has designed and led services that have been recognised through National Child Protection Awards, National Mental Health Awards, and State-Based Industry Awards.

Erin Hoffman – Practice Development Manager, Child Rights and Participation, 54 reasons | Erin has 20 years of sector experience with key roles including working alongside children and young people; settlement support; and child, youth, and family services coordination. Erin is also a Co-lead for Save the Children International's Child Participation Technical Working Group. Erin is committed to fostering a culture of children's rights, believing that this culture should be engaging, innovative, relevant and adaptive, child-informed, and accountable to children. Erin facilitates two-way learning environments where people know their voice and presence are valued. Erin is committed to child-centered and child-led ways of working, to ensure children and young people realise their right to participate and enjoy lives where they are safe, valued and happy.

Howard Choo – National Policy and Advocacy Lead, 54 reasons | Howard leads 54 reasons’ policy and advocacy agenda, pursuing policy reform and system change to promote children’s rights across Australia. This agenda spans across 54 reasons and the wider Save the Children Australia Group, recognising that children’s rights are best secured through a comprehensive approach that addresses all aspects of a child’s ecosystem, from the local to the structural, and is strongly shaped by insights from 54 reasons’ services and practice. Howard previously held executive roles in the Victorian Government, where he led strategic policy projects and education and justice system reform to improve social equity and address disadvantage. Howard is also Chair of the Board of the Victorian Student Representative Council (VicSRC), the peak body representing school-age students in Victoria and a student-led organisation supported by an adult Board.

You can access the event via your browser or the Microsoft Teams app using the link below. If you are on a mobile device you may need to download the app.

Click here to join the meeting.

Meeting ID: 475 658 546 101
Passcode: qs4m89

Download Teams | Join on the web