Resources
What young people need to know about relationships and positive mental and sexual health
This Position Brief outlines what young South Australians want when it comes to relationships and sexual and mental health education. In 2023, the Commissioner asked South Australian students in Years 10, 11 & 12 what they needed to feel supported in their...
Why investing in school camps, field trips and excursions is good for students — Anti-Poverty Week
The benefits of active and immersive experiences are well understood, which is why many schools offer them. They provide students with a rich variety of activities outside the school setting, placing them in different environments that promote their participation...
LGBTQIA+ Inclusive School Environments
The time spent at school and in school-based activities means it is one of the most critical environments in young people’s lives. When we make a commitment to providing child-friendly and child safe environments for children and young people we must follow through...
Legislation Priorities to Improve Outcomes for South Australia’s Children and Young People 2022-2026
As future participants in Australia’s democracy, children and young people rely upon political parties to be focused on future-proofing their lives through development and implementation of policies and practices that will enable them to not merely survive, but to...
The Things That Matter to Children
Through the Commissioner’s Student Voice Postcard initiative South Australian primary school aged children have consistently said that there are four things that matter to them more than most. Not surprisingly one of these is the environment. Another is school and...
The Bullying Project: Ideas to Help Prevent Bullying
Children know that quality friendships are a key to preventing bullying at school and that forming friendships can help to build resilience and confidence, particularly among younger school children. They want schools to play more of a role in guiding them on how...
Supporting Students’ Voice, Agency and Wellbeing in Schools
A good education and relevant qualifications are critical to the future of every young person and are vital ingredients to success. Students are passionate about their education and what choices completing it will offer them beyond school. They’re also aware they...
SA Young People’s Current Experiences of Relationship and Sexual Health Education
In a recent survey of 1,225 young South Australians between the ages of 12 and 22, the vast majority want sex education in schools to move beyond puberty, anatomy and the prevention of pregnancy and diseases, and instead focus on teaching them about the current...
What Young People Have Told Us About…
Since 2017, SA Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly has spoken with thousands of South Australian kids to find out what they think are the most important issues of our time. The following fact sheets present their views and ideas in relation...
Cover the Books In Nutella – and other ideas to encourage children to read
To enable children to be included in conversations about literacy, the Commissioner invited 100 students from Years 3 and 4 from around Adelaide to attend a specially designed children’s literature event. Literacy is fundamental to supporting effective life-long...
Knowing Your Rights to Education
You have the right to EDUCATION! To learn in a place that’s free from violence.To be treated in a way that’s fair.To be encouraged to attend school regularly.To get extra help if you need it to do your best.
Spotlight: The True Cost of Going to School
Through this sample of 108 government schools from across metropolitan and regional South Australia, we have started the process to identify the significant and ongoing costs, including, but not limited to, those considered ‘essential’, whichare, in reality, the...
Spotlight on Work Experience
This spotlight report from 2020 aims to bring the voices of young South Australians to the fore, combining their ideas and insights with those of their parents, educators and business leaders across South Australia. The aim of the report is to encourage...
Impact of Periods on School Students in South Australia
An issue highlighted in the Commissioner for Children & Young People’s report Leave No One Behind was period poverty. The report on young people’s perceptions andexperiences of poverty in South Australia identified that some young people are missing school...
School Uniforms
School uniforms. Some people love them; some people hate them. Their desirability has been discussed at length, with cost; practicality; and their ability to influence academic performance traditionally at the centre of the debate. While these issues still feature...
Sanitary Products in Schools
An issue highlighted in the Commissioner for Children and Young People’s recentreport Leave No One Behind, was ‘period poverty’. The report on young people’s perceptions and experiences of poverty in South Australia identified that some girls are missing school...
The Impact of the Religious Discrimination Bill 2019
The Commissioner for Children and Young People believes that the draft Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 goes against what children and young people have told the Commissioner they want from today’s society and institutions. They have said that what they want most...
Drug Education in Schools – What Works, What Doesn’t
This Position Brief outlines why the Commissioner of Children and Young People (2019) that ‘any anti-drug program introduced into an SA school should first be able to demonstrate evidence that it is safe and effective'. Schools should be part of an approach to drug...
CCYP Advocacy Priorities for South Australia’s Children and Young People
This summary report from 2019 outlines the Advocacy Priorities for South Australia’s Children & Young People.
Front & Centre – CCYP Strategic Agenda 2018-2022
This document outlines the broad focus areas of the Commissioner for Children and Young People South Australia for 2018 to 2022. It has been prepared to inform and engage the community about the work of the Commissioner. The document outlines: Platforms that will...
