Engaging with Children & Young People

It is important for children and young people to be able to have their say on issues that affect them. Ensuring children and young people can participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously, has an important protective factor.

We are increasingly focussed on developing and improving ways to seek input from children and young people about the work that we do, and to provide avenues for them to have their say about issues that are important to them. As we develop and improve ourselves, we also support others who are seeking to increase their engagement with children and young people and learn from those who are on a similar journey.

Listening has important benefits

Listening to children and young people has significant benefits for the development of good public policy, the design of successful interventions, and the delivery of effective services.

Equally, the more we encourage children and young people to be vocal about issues that matter, the more likely it is that children and young people will feel they will be listened to if they raise concerns about things they experience. This is the first step to empowering them, and to giving them the strength to speak out about important societal issues, and personal issues for which they may need support.

Ultimately, engaging with children and young people about issues that affect their lives delivers better outcomes for everyone in community.

"Kids can be teachers too!" Is a great resource to help you build capacity to listen to children and young people effectively.

Local guidelines and international law

The ACT Government’s guide to community engagement, Engaging Canberrans (PDF 878KB), notes that ‘consulting with children and young people will help you to: make more effective law and policy; deliver more effective programs; save money and time; and act in the best interests of children and young people.

The involvement of children and young people in decision making is also supported by international law. Specifically, Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) states that children and young people should be consulted on issues that affect them, and their views should be seriously considered.

More importantly, the CYPC consults with children and young people because they know the most about what is important to them, and often have the best ideas about how to change things and make things better for children and young people.

If you would like to talk to us about how to engage more effectively with children and young people in your service contact us.