Agency Performance - Enhance the Commissioner for Children and Young People's profile and reputation to improve our reach and impact | Commissioner for Children and Young People WA

Enhance the Commissioner for Children and Young People's profile and reputation to improve our reach and impact

Profile of Children and Young People in WA 2024

The annual ‘Profile of Children and Young People in Western Australia’ was published in early 2025.

The report provides a demographic profile of WA’s nearly 653,000 children and young people, who represent 22 per cent of the state’s total population. It includes a focus on children and young people who experience vulnerability and hardship such as those in the juvenile justice system, who are in out-of-home care, who have a disability or who are living in poverty.

Key areas of concern include the mental health of WA’s children and young people and their feelings of connectedness within their community. The particular lack of focus in government administrative data on the challenges faced by LGBTIQA+ children and young people is also of concern; more of an understanding of this demographic’s unique experiences is required if this group is to be more effectively supported.

The report is a component of the Commissioner’s Wellbeing Monitoring Framework and can be used by government and non-government organisations to help them allocate resources for children and young people across WA.

The ‘Profile of Children and Young People in Western Australia’ received plenty of interest, including media, and the Commissioner will continue to monitor the emerging trends and look at how the information can be used to provide better outcomes for WA children and young people in the future.

Key statistics from the Profile Report can be found in the infographic on pages 10-11.

Public commentary

There are many ways in which the Commissioner advocates for WA’s children and young people, raising awareness of the issues affecting their wellbeing and encouraging positive change in our society.

This includes tabling reports, from inquiries, surveys and listening tours in the WA Parliament. In addition, the Commissioner meets with senators, government officials, ministers and government organisations to discuss their policies, practices and services, and ensure they are listening to and hearing the voices of children and young people.

The Commissioner also makes public comment in the media where it is in the best interests of WA children and young people. In 2024-25 the Commissioner had significant media coverage in the youth justice space, particularly following the tragic death of a second child in detention in WA in less than a year.

The Commissioner attended a senate hearing into Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system in February and gained significant national media attention, as did her response to a Human Rights Watch report regarding the removal of Indigenous children from their families.

The Commissioner’s messages around health, mental health, education, the early years, child poverty, children with disabilities, online gambling, child protection and youth justice reached a wide audience through the policy position statements as well as three opinion pieces in The West Australian newspaper and interviews with Stateline, 7News, ABC TV and radio stations (both regional and metropolitan), 6DBY: Larrkardi Radio Derby, Ngaarda Media, plus national appearances on NITV, in the National Indigenous Times and other national press.

The Commissioner also maintains an active presence on social media and networking platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In light of growing concerns regarding X (formerly Twitter), the Commissioner deactivated her account in 2025. The Commissioner’s number of social media followers grew almost 34 per cent in 2024-25, compared to the previous financial year, with the most significant growth on LinkedIn which had a 59 per cent increase.

Related news:

•Amnesty International Australia

•The New Daily

•National Indigenous Times

Sponsorships

The Commissioner sponsors several awards that recognise the contributions of organisations and individuals which work to improve the lives of children and young people, in addition to awards that celebrate the contributions of children and young people in the community. The Commissioner also sponsors events from time to time that benefit children and young people.

WA Youth Awards

Continuing her support of the WA Youth Awards, managed by the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia, the Commissioner sponsored the Participate Award, recognising a young person aged 10 to 17 years who has shown outstanding dedication to making a positive change in their community and who has inspired their peers.

There were 10 nominations received in this category which was subsequently narrowed down to four finalists. Oliver Lim was the winner of the award for his work as an ally for people with disability and being a strong advocate for inclusion. Oliver was also named WA Young Person of the Year 2024 at the awards ceremony.

Click here to view the WA Youth Awards

Awards for Best Practice in Children's Consultation

The Commissioner continued her support of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Achievement Awards through sponsorship of the ‘Commissioner for Children and Young People Award for Best Practice in Children’s Consultation’. The category recognises excellence in listening to and using the views of children and young people to achieve significant outcomes.

The Department of Communities was the winner of this award in December 2024 for its diverse consultation methods to engage with over 2,000 young people across the state for the Youth Action Plan. A Special Commendation went to City of Mandurah for consulting with its Youth Advisory Council on a number of key projects.

The City of Mandurah received a silver award for the establishment of its Youth Advisory Group to give Mandurah’s young people an even stronger voice on local projects and issues and an opportunity to develop their leadership skills.

New Complaints Handling Award category IPAA

Announced in February 2025, a new IPAA award will recognise an organisation for best practice in child-focused complaints handling processes. Recipients of this award will have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to and excellence in involving children and young people in the design, implementation, or ongoing improvement of their complaints handling systems. Nominations closed in mid-June, with the award winners to be announced in December 2025.

YAL Connect scholarship

The Commissioner sponsored the YAL Connect scholarships which support young children facing barriers to engage in education. The two-year scholarship provides financial assistance for a young person entering Year 10 or 11 in 2025.

Click here to view the YAL video

YACWA Fairground Conference

Once again, the Commissioner sponsored the Fairground Conference. Aimed at youth sector workers and coordinated by the Youth Advisory Council of Western Australia, Fairground aims to bring together the sector to network and hear from experts to help in their practice as the needs of young people and the sector continue to shift and new challenges arise. The Commissioner also spoke on a panel discussing child safe practices at the event.

WAAC symposium

The Commissioner was the principal sponsor of the 2025 WAAC (WA Aids Council) Safe Spaces Symposium in March, an event focused on creating safer spaces for LGBTIQA+ young people in Western Australia. Educators, community workers and parents came together to hear about intersectionality, how best to support LGBTIQA+ children and young people. Powerful presentations from young people with lived experience and those in the sector made for a very moving event.

Play Summit

In 2024 the Commissioner provided sponsorship for the ‘Play Matters Collective Summit’ held on 14 September. The theme, ‘Discovering Children’s Identity: Play Matters’ was an opportunity for those advocating for play to share, explore, learn and connect with play advocates across Western Australia. The Commissioner spoke at the event and an expert panel of eight children and young people talked about what play means to them.

“Play isn’t this or that – it’s like a trillion different possibilities of making it whatever you want.”

The Commissioner was proud to be involved in a second event ‘Conversations with the Collective: Play Makes a Better World’, celebrating International Day of Play on 11 June 2025.

She continues to advocate for the development of a WA Play Strategy in her role as Patron of Play Matters Collective and, in February, had an opinion piece published in ‘The West Australian’ newspaper responding to the State Government’s announcement of a trial for full-time kindergarten in WA schools.

"To me the scholarship has enabled me to focus on my dreams and has given me the resources to achieve them." Jessica, Commissioner for Children and Young People Upper Secondary Scholarship recipient

Collaboration

Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and advocates Group (ANZCCGA)

The Commissioner is Co-chair of the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (ANZCCGA) group, which promotes the safety, wellbeing, and rights of children and young people in Australia and New Zealand. ANZCCGA advocates for children and young people participation in decision making and encouraging systemic improvement in areas like child poverty, housing, mental health, child protection, and youth justice to promote better future for all Australian children and young people.

The WA Commissioner for Children and Young People has just finished a one-year term as co-chair, which commenced in July 2024.

The ANZCCGA is committed to alignment with Australia’s commitment to uphold and embed into law the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the United Nations Development Program Sustainable Development Goals.

Joint statements on matters of national importance were published by the ANZCCGA, including the call for action to address child sexual abuse on 5 March 2025, the proposal for a social media ban for children and young people on 29 November 2024, and the Joint Statement on Poverty issued on 17 October 2024. These statements highlight the ANZCCGA’s commitment to addressing critical issues affecting the youth and ensuring their voices are heard in national discussions.

On 3 February 2025, ANZCCGA appeared before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee on Australia’s youth justice and incarceration system inquiry, advocating for children and young people. They highlighted the crisis level of youth justice in Australia, emphasising the need for immediate and substantive reform to increase public safety and change the life trajectories of children who encounter the justice system. The ANZCCGA noted that younger children who first encounter the justice system are more likely to reoffend and progress to more serious offending behaviour and engagement with the adult justice system.

"Just always check up on them, especially around this age." 14 year old

First Nations Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates (FNCCGA)

The Commissioner is part of the Australian First Nations Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates Caucus (the ‘Caucus’). It is a part of the ANZCCGA which addresses matters affecting First Nations children and young people. The ANZCCGA is committed to the self-determination and empowerment of Australia’s First Nations peoples.

In 2024-25 the Caucus welcomed the creation of a National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. This independent entity promotes and protects their rights, provides strategic policy advice, and enhances coordination across governments and organisations.

It ensures the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and their families are reflected in government decisions. Members of the Caucus took part in a community conversation and keynote panel discussion as part of the Justice Reform Initiative’s Reintegration Puzzle Conference in Alice Springs in June 2024. They also engaged in extensive media calling on the Prime Minister and State and Territory Governments to step up and start protecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people’s human rights, particularly in relation to youth justice. The Caucus message attracted significant attention
in the mainstream media and on social media.

Safe and Supported: the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-31

The Commissioner is part of the National Leadership Group overseeing the implementation of the National Safe and Supported Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children. This role includes a role on three key oversight groups including the Implementation Coordination Committee (ICC), Shared Decision- Making Committee (SDMC) and the Senior Oversight Committee (SOC). The Western Australian Government is a signatory to the Framework and associated action plans.

As part of her role on the Leadership Group, the Commissioner together with the two Western Australian Community members (Ms Barbara Henry and Mr Karl Williamson) engages directly with the Minister for Child Protection and the Department of Communities on matters relating to the planning and implementation of deliverables under the Framework.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan (2023-26) has eight actions that are highly unlikely to be met within the timeframe of the plan.

There is significant work to do in Western Australia, and across the nation, if the Framework is to deliver on its objectives before 2031. This work also impacts on the lack of progress on Target 12 of ‘Closing the Gap’ to reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent by 2031.

ECU Careers Fair Stall

Staff attended the Careers Fair at Edith Cowan University on 11 March 2025 to raise the profile of the Commissioner and to provide information to prospective teachers about the Speaking Out Survey. The team spoke to many of the 337 pre-service teachers that attended to highlight the value and importance of the survey and listening to the voices of children and young people.

Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas

The Commissioner is an ongoing partner in the development of the Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas. The Atlas brings together leading expertise across Australia’s child and youth research, advocacy, policy and practice fields and data to enhance children’s health, development and wellbeing, ultimately striving for equitable outcomes for all Australian children. It integrates health and wellbeing metrics, mapping data, and data visualisation tools. As a publicly accessible resource, the Atlas allows everyone to view and compare changes in the health and wellbeing of children and young people over time at local, state, and national levels.

Harmful Sexual Behaviours Framework Project Group

The Commissioner is contributing to the Interagency Project Group to develop a statewide framework for understanding and responding to harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people. The project, which is coordinated by the Australian Centre for Child Protection Research, aims to support services in building a shared approach to promoting healthy development and addressing concerning behaviours appropriately.

An End to Child Poverty

One in six children live below the poverty line in Australia. The Commissioner continues to support the work of the Valuing Children Initiative in advocating for an end to Child Poverty. The Commissioner, along with the ANZCCGA, called on federal, state and territory governments to legislate to better target child poverty in Australia an introduce a National Child Poverty Reduction Bill on their Joint Statement on Poverty that was released on 17 October 2024.

In 2022, nearly one in nine (11.8 per cent) of children in Western Australia were living in poverty, affecting around 71,000 children. Rising costs and a tightening housing market are expected to push another 21,000 children into poverty. The 2021 Census revealed that more than 95 per cent of the poorest single-parent families were headed by women.

Child poverty in WA fell during the COVID epidemic but has risen again with current statistics showing 99,000 children living below the poverty line in WA. These alarming statistics continue to inform the work of the Commissioner going forward.

Early Years Partnership

The Commissioner serves on the board of the Early Years Partnership, a collaboration between the WA Government, Minderoo Foundation and The Kids (formerly TKI), aimed at improving early childhood outcomes. Working with four communities, the initiative uses a co-design approach to identify local challenges, develop tailored community plans, and implement evidence-based solutions for the provision of early years services. This community-led model promotes more integrated and responsive early years services for children and families.

Kimberley Aboriginal Youth Wellbeing Steering Committee

The Commissioner is a member of the Kimberley Aboriginal Youth Wellbeing Steering Committee. The Committee brings together all relevant State Government agencies and Kimberley Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to support and enable Aboriginal community-led solutions to improve Aboriginal youth, social and emotional wellbeing outcomes.

Edith Cowan University School of Education Advisory Board

The Commissioner sits on the ECU School of Education Advisory Board, which offers strategic guidance on the school’s direction, course development, research priorities, workforce needs, and community engagement.

Trans and gender diverse children and young people

In public presentations, submissions, sponsorships, stakeholder meetings and media interviews this year the Commissioner has advocated for improved inclusion and recognition of trans and gender diverse young people. The Commissioner has emphasised the need for inclusive government services that support trans and gender diverse young people, starting with improving visibility and recognition in service data. The Commissioner also sponsored the WAAC Safe Spaces Symposium for LGBTIQA+ young people and participated in the Youth Pride Network’s Queeries policy forum.