Resources
Grownups’ Guide to Providing Child Focused Help
Being believed and listened to by adult helpers is important for children and young people. Many say they are not truly heard and that most adults are more interested in telling them what to do and assuming they have nothing of value to contribute, rather than...
Free Fares for Our Future Campaign Position Brief
Members of the South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) want all South Australian high school students to have freeaccess to public transport. Affordable, reliable, and safe transport is critical to young people’s participation, inclusion, and...
Smacking and Physical Punishment
People often have strong opinions about whether smacking is right or wrong, helpful or harmful, or whether parents should even have the right to smack their children. It can be overwhelming for parents when outsiders – including other parents, onlookers,...
Listening to LGBTQIA+ Young People
This snapshot summary takes a close look at the large surveys conducted by the Commissioner on relationships and sexual health education, periods, sport, work and public transport in relation to responses from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex...
The need for a system response to harmful sexual behaviours in children
Harmful sexual behaviour observed in children is a taboo subject. No-one wants to talk about these behaviours when they see them in their own child, or others, with many parents, carers, teachers and service providers unsure how best to respond. The Commissioner...
Missing Voices: Physical punishment experiences as described by primary school children
As part of ongoing work ensuring that all South Australian children and young people have a voice, the Commissioner released a series of booklets highlighting key issues as raised by children through the Commissioner's Student Voice Postcards initiative. This is a...
Bail Conditions for Children
In this Position Brief, The Commissioner is calling for continued and focused effort on reducing the number of children being incarcerated in South Australia’s youth detention centres in line with the fundamental principles of child justice. For this to become a...
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...
Respecting the Online Rights of Children and Young People: Tips for Organisations and Parents
We want children and young people to embrace the internet to learn, share, collaborate and participate in civic life with free expression. We also need to ensure that when they do so they are kept safe. When it comes to dealing with young people’s personal...
Being Child and Youth Focused in an Emergency
Planning for emergencies, disasters and recovery, must address the unique needs of children and young people across our metropolitan and regional communities. It must also include an understanding of the specific community infrastructure they require to build their...
A Quick Guide to TikTok for Parents
We want children and young people to embrace the internet to learn, share, collaborate and participate in civic life with free expression. We also need to ensure that when they do so they are kept safe. When it comes to dealing with young people’s personal...
A Quick Guide to Instagram for Parents
We want children and young people to embrace the internet to learn, share, collaborate and participate in civic life with free expression. We also need to ensure that when they do so they are kept safe. When it comes to dealing with young people’s personal...
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...
Trust is a Must Poster – What Does it Take to Be Child Friendly and Child Safe?
This poster contains a visual summary of key messages from South Australian children and young people that will make a difference to their lives. A key focus of being more child safe is to ensure that the interests of children and young people are placed front and...
Manage Your Sharenting
A new baby. A toddler taking their first steps. A child’s first day at school. A teenager getting their driver’s licence or securing their first job. All amazing milestones in a young person’s life worthy of much celebration! Often, proud parents will try to...
The Bullying Project: What children and young people want sporting organisations to know about bullying
Bullying in sporting environments is not uncommon: It may occur between players, parents, coaches and others. But there are ways to fix it. We are all much more aware of how bullying poses a significant risk to the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of...
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.
Raising the Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility
This Position Brief outlines why the Commissioner of Children and Young People (2019) believes that the minimum age of criminal responsibility should be increased. The minimum age of criminal responsibility in South Australia is currently set at 10 years. This is...
