Our future in focus

The Commissioner for Children and Young People's four key priority areas are critical in ensuring that all children and young people are safe, supported and able to thrive, particularly those facing disadvantage. Together, these priorities focus on strengthening early support and prevention, improving system responses for vulnerable children and young people, amplifying their voices and addressing inequalities experienced by Aboriginal children and young people. By guiding advocacy, partnerships and reform efforts, they help drive a more coordinated, culturally responsive and child-centred approach across government and community services in Western Australia, which must now take urgent action to meet its obligations under Safe and Supported, including the appointment of a Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People.

In addition to these priority areas, the Commissioner remains committed to upholding the rights of the child and advocating for the creation of a report card for Western Australia. It is critical for governments to embed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into jurisdictional legislation. Unfortunately, without a Human Rights Act or Commission in Western Australia, we are unable to monitor or measure the performance of organisations and government in relation to the rights of the child.

Read about our priority areas.

Youth justice

In 2025-26, the Commissioner significantly strengthened advocacy in the youth justice space, focusing on systemic reform, child-centred approaches and the importance of listening to children and young people, particularly those with lived experience of the justice system.

Being appointed as an Ambassador for the Justice Reform Initiative was a major milestone, providing the Commissioner with a platform to advocate for children and young people and to share her Youth Justice Policy Position Statements and Policy Priorities on a national stage. Informed by extensive consultation with more than 11,000 young people, these documents call for substantial reform, including raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, reducing reliance on detention, and expanding therapeutic and trauma-informed responses.

The Commissioner consistently argued that children in the justice system should be treated differently from adults, with responses focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Youth offending was framed as closely linked to unmet needs, including trauma, poverty, disengagement from education and lack of culturally appropriate support.

Elevating the voices of children and young people was a defining feature of this work. The Commissioner continued to promote the findings from the Hear Me Out Inquiry and engaged directly with young people from diverse and marginalised backgrounds. This approach reinforced the importance of lived experience in shaping policy and highlighted the need for systems to actively listen to children. Visits to Banksia Hill Detention Centre and Unit 18 continued in 2025-26.

Public advocacy throughout the year strongly criticised punitive approaches and called for holistic reform. The Commissioner described the youth justice system as a 'crisis of care'.

The overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the justice system remains a central concern. The Commissioner highlighted systemic inequalities and advocated for Aboriginal-led solutions, self-determination and stronger connection to culture and community. These factors were identified as essential for reducing reoffending and supporting long-term wellbeing.

The Commissioner also used digital engagement and public communication to raise awareness, promote evidence-based approaches and highlight the links between youth justice, mental health, education and social disadvantage.

Overall, the Commissioner's youth justice work positioned children as rights-holders whose experiences and insights must shape reform. The year's work consistently emphasised the importance of prevention, early intervention, cultural safety and reducing reliance on detention in favour of more compassionate and effective approaches.

Child protection

In 2025-26, the Commissioner's work in the child protection space focused on strengthening child-centred, rights-based systems that prioritise safety, wellbeing and participation. The Commissioner consistently advocated for children and young people to be recognised as active rights-holders whose voices must be central to the decisions affecting their lives. This included commencing an Inquiry into the child protection system in Western Australia.

It is clear that Western Australia is not on track to meet either the Closing the Gap targets or the goals under Safe and Supported to reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care. Rather, the percentage of Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care remains over 60%, representing an increase of 2% since 30 June 2022 and more than 7% over the past 10 years.

Another key priority for 2025-26 was ensuring that children in the child protection system are genuinely heard and involved in care planning and decision-making processes. The Commissioner emphasised the importance of stable placements, trusted adult relationships, culturally safe and trauma-informed care, and accessible pathways for children to raise concerns and make complaints. Throughout the year, the voices of children and young people with lived experience in care were elevated through consultations and public advocacy, reinforcing the need for systems to respond meaningfully to their experiences.

The Commissioner also maintained a strong focus on prevention and early intervention. Advocacy highlighted that many drivers of child protection involvement are linked to broader social determinants such as poverty, housing instability, mental health needs and lack of access to support services.

The Commissioner called for greater investment in community-based support that strengthens families before issues escalate rather than relying on reactive, crisis-driven responses.

Family and domestic violence was another major focus area. The Commissioner emphasised that children should be recognised as victim-survivors in their own right, with distinct experiences and needs. Advocacy efforts highlighted the developmental and mental health impacts of exposure to violence and called for more child-focused, trauma-informed responses within domestic violence systems.

The overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the child protection system remains a critical concern. The Commissioner consistently highlighted the role of intergenerational trauma, systemic disadvantage and structural inequities, and advocated for Aboriginal self-determination, community-led solutions and culturally safe practices. Maintaining connection to family, culture, language and Country was identified as essential to Aboriginal children's identity, wellbeing and long-term outcomes.

Systemic accountability was another key theme. The Commissioner used public advocacy, media engagement and policy work to draw attention to issues such as placement instability, workforce pressures and service gaps. The importance of transparent reporting, independent oversight and evidence-informed policy was strongly emphasised, alongside the need for whole-of-government responses.

The Commissioner's use of wellbeing indicators and data further supported this work by highlighting the challenges faced by children in care, including mental health concerns, educational disengagement, risk of homelessness and difficulties transitioning out of care. These insights reinforced the importance of coordinated, long-term support systems.

Overall, the Commissioner positioned child protection as a shared societal responsibility, requiring coordinated efforts to support children, families and communities. The work during 2025-26 reinforced that effective child protection systems must go beyond statutory intervention to address underlying causes of vulnerability and prioritise children's voices, rights and wellbeing.

Health and mental health

The Commissioner's work in health and mental health during 2025-26 highlighted the growing urgency of addressing wellbeing challenges among children and young people. Mental health was positioned as a foundational issue, deeply connected to broader social, economic and environmental factors.

Work continued to promote the updated Health and Mental Health Policy Position Statements and Policy Priorities. These documents outlined a reform agenda focused on prevention, early intervention, improved access to services and culturally safe care. Key priorities included reducing waiting times, improving affordability, expanding community-based services, addressing regional inequalities and strengthening coordination across the health, education and community sectors.

The Commissioner consistently emphasised that mental health should not be viewed solely as a clinical issue but as a whole-of-community concern influenced by factors such as housing, family wellbeing, education, discrimination and social connection. This holistic perspective underpinned ongoing advocacy for integrated and coordinated systems of support.

Throughout the year, the Commissioner highlighted systemic gaps in mental health services for children and young people, including long waiting lists, fragmented service delivery and insufficient early intervention options. Building on previous inquiries, the Commissioner's office called for sustained reform and a comprehensive system that supports children across the full continuum, from wellbeing promotion to crisis care.

Youth voice remained central to this work. Through consultations and engagement initiatives, children and young people identified key drivers of declining wellbeing, including stress, anxiety, loneliness, bullying, school pressure, family conflict and cost-of-living challenges. They also called for more accessible, non-judgemental and youth-friendly services, better mental health education and greater access to trusted adults and safe spaces.

A major achievement for the year was the completion of the fieldwork for the Speaking Out Survey, which saw more than 17,000 children and young people participating in face-to-face surveys across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years. This survey is the largest of its kind in Australia and provides valuable insights into the wellbeing of children and young people across Western Australia. The data has been weighted and analysed, and the report has been drafted and is expected to be tabled in September 2026.

The Commissioner continued to use the Indicators of Wellbeing framework to monitor trends, highlighting increasing psychological distress (particularly among adolescent girls), ongoing suicide risks and disparities affecting Aboriginal children and vulnerable groups. This evidence supports calls for improved data collection and greater accountability in measuring outcomes.

Digital wellbeing emerged as an important area of focus, with the Commissioner engaging in discussions around social media, online safety and the role of digital environments in shaping mental health. The work recognised both the risks and benefits of online spaces, particularly for connection and identity formation among young people.

A strong emphasis was also placed on Aboriginal wellbeing, with advocacy for culturally grounded and community-led approaches to mental health. Connection to culture, family and Country was consistently identified as a key protective factor.

Overall, the Commissioner's work reinforced that mental health is central to all aspects of children and young people's lives and requires long-term, coordinated and culturally responsive reform. Prevention, early support and meaningful youth participation were positioned as critical to improving outcomes.

Education

During the 2025-26 financial year, the Commissioner for Children and Young People focused strongly on advancing an education system that is inclusive, equitable and centred on the wellbeing of children and young people. The Commissioner's work emphasised that education is not only about academic achievement but also about ensuring that students feel safe, connected, supported and heard within their school environments.

A central pillar of this work was the continued promotion and implementation of the Commissioner's Education Policy Position Statement and associated policy priorities. These priorities were informed by extensive consultation with thousands of children and young people across Western Australia and reinforced key principles, including the importance of safe and inclusive learning environments, stronger student participation in decision making, equitable access to quality education, culturally responsive schooling, and improved support for students with disabilities and diverse learning needs.

A defining feature of the Commissioner's approach was the strong emphasis on elevating student voice. Through face-to-face consultations, digital engagement such as DigiMe and social media platforms, children and young people shared their experiences on issues including belonging, bullying, mental health, teacher relationships, discrimination, school attendance and digital learning. These insights reinforced the Commissioner's position that students are experts in their own lives and that education systems are more effective when student voices are meaningfully embedded in policy and practice.

The Commissioner also maintained a strong focus on educational engagement and wellbeing, highlighting growing concerns about disengagement, school refusal and the impacts of anxiety and mental health challenges on attendance. Attention was drawn to exclusionary practices such as suspension and the long-term risks associated with disengagement, including pathways into youth justice systems. In response, the Commissioner advocated for early intervention, trauma-informed approaches, flexible learning pathways and strengthened wellbeing supports within schools.

Equity remained a central theme throughout the year. The Commissioner consistently highlighted the systemic barriers faced by vulnerable cohorts, including Aboriginal children, and children and young people in care, with disabilities, in regional and remote areas, or experiencing homelessness, family violence or discrimination. Culturally safe, inclusive and accessible educational environments, alongside improved transitions between education systems and services were key advocacy positions.

Aboriginal education continued to be a key priority, with the Commissioner emphasising the importance of culturally responsive approaches, Aboriginal-led solutions, and recognition of the strengths, identity and cultural knowledge of Aboriginal children and young people. Connection to family, culture and Country was consistently framed as critical to both educational success and overall wellbeing.

The Commissioner also used the Indicators of Wellbeing framework to support evidence-based advocacy, highlighting links between mental health and school engagement, disparities in outcomes and the effects of socio-economic disadvantage. This work reinforced the need for broader measures of educational success that include wellbeing, connection and participation, not solely academic results.

Overall, the Commissioner's education work reinforced that schools play a critical role in shaping children and young people's wellbeing, resilience and sense of belonging. Education was positioned as both a fundamental right and a key protective factor influencing long-term life outcomes, requiring a holistic and child-centred approach.