CCYP Publications Library

Choose from more than CCYP 300 resources containing ideas and opinions expressed by South Australian children and young people. These resources have been developed by the Commissioner with direct input from children and young people via surveys, consultations, focus groups, forums, face-to-face conversations and summits.  Resources available for free download and distribution amongst your networks and peers include project reports, submissions, facts sheets, guides, position briefs, policy statements, and statutory reports.

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Please email us at commissionercyp@ccyp.com.au if there is something you’re looking for that you can’t find here. Alternatively, you could try going to Our Work where you’ll find pages curated with CCYP resources listed within key focus areas of Health, Safety, Education, Wellbeing, Citizenship & Environment.

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2030 SDG Action Plan by South Australian Young People

Children and young people believe ‘if you help people contribute positively – no one loses and everyone wins’. They believe that South Australians care deeply about people who are doing it tough, but they also don’t know what to do to help. This report by the Commissioner from 2020 captures...

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A 6-Point Plan to Make SA a Better Place for Kids

Whilst the full Things That Matter 5 report is a delightful read for those who want to drill down into responses to the questions children have supplied, this snapshot summary of what kids have told the Commissioner will make South Australia better from their point of view has a range of practical...

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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 information it is important to be mindful...

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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 information it is important to be mindful...

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Aboriginal Youth Engagement Project

In October 2018, South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and YoungPeople Helen Connolly, in collaboration with Reconciliation SA and TauondiAboriginal College, initiated an Aboriginal Youth Engagement project to explore thefeasibility of establishing an Aboriginal Youth Council (AYC) in South...

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Annual Report 2021-2022

The Commissioner works to give South Australian children and young people a voice and to ensure their views are given due weight according to their age and maturity. This Annual Report was prepared for presentation to Parliament as per the requirements of the statutory reporting of the Children...

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Annual Report 2022-2023

The Commissioner works to give South Australian children and young people a voice and to ensure their views are given due weight according to their age and maturity. This Annual Report was prepared for presentation to Parliament as per the requirements of the statutory reporting of the Children...

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Annual Report To Children and Young People 2021-2022

The Annual Report to Children and Young People highlights key statistics that are relevant to how the Commissioner has heard from and represented South Australian children and young people, and is intended to keep them informed about their Commissioner's work.

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Annual Report To Children and Young People 2022-2023

The 2022-2023 Annual Report to Children and Young People highlights key statistics that are relevant to how the Commissioner has heard from and represented South Australian children and young people, and is intended to keep them informed about their Commissioner's work.

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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 reality we need to make changes to...

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Barriers to Civic Participation for Children and Young People

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says children and young people have a right to have a say on all issues that affect them and for their views to be taken seriously. To ascertain the extent to which current state government policy processes directly...

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Becoming a Child Friendly Sports Club

Social and competitive sports are how a large portion of South Australian children and young people choose to spend their free time. It is vital that sporting clubs and organisations provide inclusive and child-friendly environments to ensure fair and equitable participation among all children and...

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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 resilience and reduce their...

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Being Healthy Guide

More than perhaps any other generation, today’s young people are acutely aware of the diversity of their peers, both in South Australia and around the world. The first truly global generation, young people value diversity and place a huge importance on personal identity and inclusion. Children and...

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Benefits of Recreational Gaming and e-Sports for Young People

According to research, about two third of the Australian population play video or digital games. Among children and young people (5-24 years old) this percentage rises to more than 80 percent. Young people (between 15 and 24 years old) spend more than two hours per day playing games. Having fun,...

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Best Interests

This report from 2022 explores what children and young people experience within the child protection system. The systemic safety and wellbeing of children depends on them having opportunities to be included in the processes that affect their lives. When children talk about being safe, they talk...

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Building Period Positive Sports Clubs

It is essential that young players are treated with dignity and respect, especially when it comes to matters of reproductive health and menstruation. This is essential to ensuring that young people who are menstruating feel supported so they can continue to participate in sport, both competitively...

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Building Youth-Friendly Local Communities

To build a strong state where young people can be confident, connected, and creative, the adults in their lives need to find ways to involve them more in their local communities. This includes engaging young people as capable citizens, facilitating their participation in decisions about things...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2020

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Additionally, South Australia's Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2021

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Additionally, South Australia’s Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2021 – Environment

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Each year, the Commissioner releases a suite of reports assessing the progress achieved by governments...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2022

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Additionally, South Australia’s Children and Young People (Oversight and Advocacy Bodies) Act 2016...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2022 – Environment

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Each year, the Commissioner releases a suite of reports assessing the progress achieved by governments...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2023

The Commissioner's Child Rights Progress Reports assess South Australia's progress on recommendations made by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child across seven key areas of concern: child health, child justice, child protection, education, physical punishment, disability, and...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2023 – Child Health

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Each year, the Commissioner releases a suite of reports assessing the progress achieved by governments...

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Child Rights Progress Reports 2023 – Environment

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Australia is obligated to achieve minimum standards across justice, education, healthcare and social services. Each year, the Commissioner releases a suite of reports assessing the progress achieved by governments...

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Conscious Cities: Wellbeing Infrastructure

Young people have given us clear direction around what they need to relax, play and engage in leisure activities. They have told us they want wellbeing infrastructure that supports them to be connected, confident and creative. When their passions are showcased and when they can ‘see young...

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COVID-19 Survey: Key Findings

This survey captures South Australian young people’s thoughts, experiences and concerns during COVID-19. The survey asked their views on COVID-19 vaccines and proposed restrictions, as well as where they currently get their information from.  The Commissioner also asked them what they need from...

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Democracy in Action: What happened when 16 & 17 year olds voted?

Democracy in Action is an innovative civics engagement project from 2019 giving young people practical skills in enrolling and completing a ballot paper. DiA was designed by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in partnership with the Centre of Democracy and Electoral Commission SA....

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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 education that includes...

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Early Years Postcards

Being able to speak up and express their opinions is a core right of children, as stated in Article 12 in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2023, the Commissioner extended her postcards initiative to be inclusive of preschool aged children so that they could share their thoughts...

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Everyday Racism

Everyday Racism outlines the experiences of racism South Australian refugee and migrant young people have explicitly raised with with the Commissioner in conversations and direct engagement with them. It also highlights young people’s ideas for preventing and actively challenging racism across a...

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Facilitators of, and Barriers to, Positive eSports Behaviours

In partnership with and funded by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, South Australia, and the Department for Education, South Australia, a small pilot project was conducted to explore facilitators of, and barriers to, positive esports behaviours. The rapid expansion of the esports...

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Fitness for Free Campaign Position Brief

Members of the South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) want South Australian high school students to be granted free access to swimming pools, gyms, leisure centres and fitness classes. Getting active and interacting with others helps young people maintain good mental health and...

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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 wellbeing. Young people rely on public...

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Friendship and Belonging

Friendship and connection are extremely important to children’s health and wellbeing – a factor increasingly recognised by governments around the world, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns, and recognised in Article 15 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although...

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From Checkbox to Commitment

This report from 2022 t seeks to address some of the current knowledge gapsby reporting on what children and young people with disability have said about their lives. It has been written against the backdrop of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with...

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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 guide the work of the Commissioner...

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Greening Our Canteens Campaign Position Brief

Members of the South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) want all South Australian schools to be environmentally sustainable. This includes improving the waste and recycling practices of their school canteen to reduce food waste going to landfill and carbon emissions going into the...

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Growing Confident, Connected, Creative Regional Kids

As part of a global youth generation, regional young people in South Australiaknow more than prior generations about what they can achieve and about what they can expect from leaders in their community, including how they want to betreated. This summary document from 2019 is an extract from my...

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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 appreciating them asthe thinking,...

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Hopes and Dreams

The Hopes and Dreams regional engagement project commenced in February 2018. Its aim was to find out what children and young people living in South Australia hope for, and what support they need to help realise their dreams. The Commissioner wanted to know what young people would like local...

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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 because their families can’t afford...

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Keeping Kids Connected to Learning and Schooling Summit #2

The second Keeping Kids Connected to Learning and Schooling Summit took place on 6th May 2022, more than a year after the inaugural summit of the same name held in March 2021. The 2022 Summit changed focus, looking at disengagement and detachment from school and working towards cross-sectoral...

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Keeping Our Promises 2023

 In the language of children and young people, the commitments that governments make to them through laws, policies, strategies and plans are treated as promises. They are promises made to ensure resources of government are channelled into meaningful improvement to their lives. Keeping Our...

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Keeping Our Promises 2024

In the language of children and young people, commitments that governments make to them through laws, policies, strategies and plans are treated as promises. They consider them to be promises made to ensure resources of government are channelled into meaningful improvement to their lives. Keeping...

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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.

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Knowing Your Rights to Freedom of Expression

You have the right to FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION! You have the right to express your views, freely.You have the right to have your views heard.You have the right to have your views taken seriously.Your views are important!

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Knowing Your Rights to Good Health

You have the right to GOOD HEALTH! To have safe water to drink and nutritious food to eat.To live in a clean and safe environment.To get medical care if you are sick or injured.To be given information about health and nutrition.

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Knowing Your Rights to Play

You have the right to PLAY! To play and to rest.To participate freely in cultural life.To engage in artistic expression and creativity.To do recreational activities like sport or dance.

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Knowing Your Rights to Protection at Work

You have the right to PROTECTION AT WORK! To be paid the right amount of money.To not be asked to do work that might be harmful to you in some way.For work not to get in the way of school.To make sure you are not doing too many hours.

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Leading for our Future: Youth Symposium Report

This report from 2018 outlines key issues and barriers to accessing employment, and the opportunities and suggestions identified by young people. The key objective of the symposium was to engage young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to learn directly from their lived experiences and to...

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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 in all environments, including...

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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 and/or asexual (LGBTQIA+) young...

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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 capture these precious moments on video...

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Mandatory Drug Treatment Orders for Children and Young People

This Issue Brief by the Commissioner for Children and Young People (2019) outlines how the Commissioner believes that mandatory treatment orders for children and young people violate their fundamental rights. It also risks causing lifelong harm without actually addressing the causes of drug...

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Menstruation Matters

Through publication of this report, the Commissioner hopes to raise the issue of menstrual wellbeing as a significant area of gender equity policy; one that must be addressed to improve the participation, education and wellbeing outcomes of all young South Australians who menstruate. Given the...

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Missing Voices: Domestic and family violence

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 collection of drawings and...

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Missing Voices: Sexism and gender stereotypes

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 collection of drawings and...

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My Digital Life

The shift to a predominantly online existence in 2020, as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighted the issue of digital inequality across our communities, it also exposed the multiple impact a lack of digital access has on children and young people, particularly in relation to...

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No Exceptions | Creating safer schools for LGBTQIA+ Students

This report from 2021 captures the views of young people about their perceptions and experiences of discrimination against LGBTQIA+ students in religious schools. Obviously the negative experiences in this report do not reflect the environments in every religious school. There are noted examples...

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Off To Work We Go

Much of our society and schooling system focuses on preparing children and young people for their futures. From a young age, children are asked ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ As they get older this question changes to ‘what are you going to do when you finish school?’ or ‘what are you...

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Open Letter to COP28

In the lead up to COP28, the UN's annual climate conference, the Commissioner hosted a Youth Climate Forum, where South Australian young people were asked to contribute to an open letter to the delegates attending COP28. The letter largely focussed on food sustainability as a key focus area. In...

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Our Approach to Advocacy

This Position Brief sets out the Commissioner’s role including her responsibilityto promote and advocate for the rights and interests of all children and young people in SA, and to promote the participation of children and young people in the making of decisions that affect their lives. The Act...

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Our Approach to Engaging with Community Organisations

This document outlines the Commissioner’s key objectives when collaborating with organisations and systems to include children and young people as stakeholders and to incorporate their perspectives and views in policy and system reforms The Commissioner believes that the contribution of children...

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Our Approach to Engaging with SA Business

This document outlines why the Commissioner is interested in working with the SA business community to engage children and young people as capable citizens, who are able to meaningfully contribute and shape services and influence business decision making. Young people bring energy and fresh...

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Our Approach to Gaming

Children and young people have been telling the Commissioner how important gaming is to them, not only as a recreation activity but as a connector to a social community. The Commissioner has had many conversations with children and young people on the meaning of gaming in their lives. They have...

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