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.
2022 Advocacy Agenda for South Australia’s Children and Young People
This document provides an overview of the actions I will take over the next three years in relation to the health, safety, wellbeing, education and citizenship of South Australia’s children and young people. I urge all people with an interest in children’s rights, wellbeing, and development, to...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Annual Report 2016-2017
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2016-2017 Annual Report.
Annual Report 2017-2018
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2017-2018 Annual Report.
Annual Report 2018-2019
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2018-2019 Annual Report.
Annual Report 2019-2020
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2019-2020 Annual Report.
Annual Report 2020-2021
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2020-21 Annual Report.
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...
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...
Annual Report To Children and Young People 2017-2018
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2017-2018 Annual Report Top 10 Things.
Annual Report To Children and Young People 2018-2019
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2018-2019 Annual Report Top 10 Things.
Annual Report To Children and Young People 2019-2020
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2019-20 Annual Report to children and young people.
Annual Report To Children and Young People 2020-2021
The Commissioner for Children and Young People 2020-21 Annual Report to children and young people.
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.
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.
Australian Children’s Commissioners and Guardians | Joint Participation Paper
Members of the ACCG regularly consult with a diverse array of children and young people within their jurisdictions on a wide range of topics This report from 2018 reflects some of the consistent themes from a sampling of these consultations. The consultations analysed in this report were...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Children and the Family Law System | What children think should happen when families separate
The Australian Law Reform Commission’s ‘ALRC’ Review of the Family Law System provided the SA Commissioner for Children and Young People ‘Commissioner’ an opportunity to carry out focused consultations with children and young people about the Family Law system. The Commissioner talked to children...
Community Building in the 21st Century: How to use collaborative gaming to build connection, confidence and creativity
In the Commissioner's extensive conversations with young people, we have heard that gaming and esports is an area in which they would like to see more resourcesprovided at the local community level. Young people often speak to me about the value gaming offers them as a ‘connector’ to their social...
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...
Conversations with children and young people living with a disability
It’s clear that given the opportunity, children and young people living with a disability are keen to express their views about what matters to them most. They also wish to express their hopes for the future and where they think change could happen. This collection of comments made by children and...
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 learning, overcoming educational...
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...
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....
Developing a ‘Fit for Purpose’ mental health crisis care system for a 21st century children and young people
Despite increased awareness-raising around mental health, and improving access to quality mental health information, children and young people continue to face significant challenges in maintaining their wellbeing and mental health. When children and young people are asked to talk about mental...
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...
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...
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...
First Port of Call: Supporting South Australia’s health care system to better meet the needs of trans and gender diverse children and young people
The discussions had in the course of preparing this report have shown that trans and gender diverse health care is a rapidly evolving area of practice. This report by the Commissioner in 2019 provides recommendations on supporting the South Australian health care system to better meet the needs of...
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...
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...
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...
Health Hub – ideas for creating more child and youth friendly health services
This report from 2021 outlines ideas for creating more child and youth friendly health services as recommended by children and young people. Together with practical tips on how this knowledge can be applied, Health Hub has been produced to support you in the crucial work you undertake as a South...
Health, Wellbeing and Physical Activity: The Perspectives of Children and Young People
Australian children are among the least active in the world. A recent study found that only 18% of Australian children aged 5–17 years are getting the 60 minutes of daily physical activity they need to lead a healthy lifestyle. Throughout 2021 and 2022 the Commissioner for Children and Young...
High Stakes High School: The experiences of South Australian Year 12 students
This report from 2022 recognises the range of attributes young people needto thrive in a changing world, including those gained from experiences outside the classroom. Beyond job prospects and security, educational attainment also influences behaviours and decision-making related to health, civic...
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...
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...
Infrastructure 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 thrive across communities. The...
Join the Dots | The impact of parental incarceration on children and young people
This report from 2022 provides a summary of what the Commissioner heardduring consultations with children, young people, and parents. Viewing adult systems through children’s eyes requires a shift in thinking that is future-focused and grounded in child rights. It also requires meaningful...
Keeping Kids Connected to Learning and Schooling Summit | Feedback Report
This report from 2021 summarises what participants thought were key issues for the Department to consider in its response to the findings and recommendations of the Graham Inquiry and the Blame Game reports. The Summit offered the South Australian community a unique opportunity to identify and map...
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...
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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...
Leave No One Behind: What children and young people have said about living in poverty
This report aims to provide deep insight into how children and young people understand poverty. It captures responses made by children and young people to questions they were asked about what they think poverty means, what it’s like (for some of them) to live in poverty, and what they suggest...
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 thrive across communities. The...
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...
Listening Tour: Reflections | Hearing the Voices of South Australia’s Children and Young People
The Listening Tour was launched on 15 June 2017. Its aim was to provide the Commissioner the opportunity to meet with as many children and young people across the state as possible. The purpose was to find out what matters to them and how they think their lives can be improved. It was also to find...
Making Change in Youth Justice: A User’s Guide
A User's Guide developed by the Commissioner in 2020 to building a better South Australian youth justice system.
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...
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...
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...
Missing Voices: Cost of living pressures 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 collection of drawings and...
Missing Voices: Mental health challenges 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 collection of drawings and...
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 collection of drawings and...
More Than a Game: What do children and young people think about sport?
This report from 2022 focuses on children and young people’s perceptions and experiences of organised sport in South Australia. Based on over 1,500 responses to an online survey in 2021, it complements my wider engagement with South Australian children and young people in relation to their broader...
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...
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...
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...
Open Letter to COP27 from South Australia’s Children and Young People
In the lead up to COP27, the UN's annual climate conference, the Commissioner hosted the inaugural Youth Climate Forum, where South Australian young people were asked to contribute to an open letter to the Australian delegates attending COP27. In the letter, young people called for increased...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Our Approach to Participation and Engagement
This Position Brief sets out the Commissioner’s Commissioner’s approach to participation and engagement in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says children and young people have a right...
Parliamentary Inquiry into Law Enforcement re Child Exploitation, 2021
Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry into Law Enforcement Capabilities re Child Exploitation 2021, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2021.
Press Play – Activating Young People’s Health and Wellbeing Through Play
Play for young people is so much more than just a way to occupy their time. It is one of the few ways in which they know they can experience the world beyond and independent of the direction and moderation of adults. The material contained in this report has been sourced via conversations...
Public Libraries
This Position Brief outlines how the Commissioner urges the Commonwealth, State and Local authorities to invest in public libraries. Public libraries have unique value to children and young people, both to inspire them to read and to provide them with a safe and inclusive place to be at the heart...
Public Transport: It’s Not Fine
In 2019, the Commissioner for Children and Young People talked to South Australian children and young people about their experiences on public transport. This report explores the systemic issues identified by South Australian children and young people in relation to their experience of public...
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 too low and does not align with...
Reducing the Voting Age
There are people of all ages who openly dislike politics and political campaigns. They begrudgingly line up at the ballot box to cast their vote in what can feel like an endless cycle of federal and state elections, because they are required to do so by law. But for some young Australians, voting...
Reflections on COVID-19
This report by the Commissioner in 2020 depicts South Australian young people, in their own words, reflecting on the impact of the coronavirus on their world and their futures.
Regenerating Our Regions: increasing participation of young people in rural South Australia
The Regional Youth Voices Forum reflected a significant collaboration between theCommissioner for Children and Young People and the Youth Advisory Committees of the Barossa Valley, Clare and Gilbert and Goyder Councils. This report from 2020 outlines what participants told us are the biggest...
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 information it is important to be mindful...
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 realities and pressures of their own...
Safe and Sound: views and experiences of SA young people on public transport
This report from 2023 have been gathered directly from young people across the state. It includes both positive and negative experiences of public transport, along with suggestions about what needs improving. Although many of the issues are shared by adults, young people have valuable insights to...