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.
Unseen and Unheard
The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 recognises children and young people as victims of gender-based violence in their own right. However, children and young people’s unique perspectives and experiences continue to be overlooked in policies, systems and services...
The Creative Lives of SA Children and Young People
In 2024, the Commissioner held a series of school consultations about arts and creativity to find out what creativity looks like for children and young people in their daily lives, and to hear their ideas for making their communities more creative. South Australian children and young people told...
Child Rights Progress Reports 2024
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...
Annual Report To Children and Young People 2023-2024
The 2023-2024 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.
Teenagers and Gambling
The pervasiveness and risks associated with gambling and the ease with which people of all ages can access and participate in gambling throughout Australian society is gaining greater awareness. However, little attention is being given to the views and experiences that children and young people,...
The Things That Matter to Gender Diverse Primary Students
Over the course of the Commissioner's Student Voice Postcards initiative, hundreds of students who describe their gender as something other than 'girl', 'boy', 'male', or 'female' have written to the Commissioner about the things that matter to them. These children have shared responses that are...
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...
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...
Teenagers and Safety
Achieving systemic change around safety means addressing the underlying social drivers that relate to children and young people’s experiences of feeling unsafe. Teenagers are particularly prone to issues around safety for a range of reasons. These relate in part to the rapid mental and physical...
Postcards snapshot for South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
The Commissioner has designed a postcard for South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence to engage with children and young people who may not otherwise be heard. The postcard asked children and young people about when they feel safe, what would make them feel...
Realising children and young people’s rights to positive relationships, and sexual health and wellbeing
Ensuring South Australian children and young people have the knowledge and skills to experience positive, healthy, and respectful relationships is critical to the enjoyment of all rights set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. All children and young people should have...
Submission to South Australia’s Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence
The Commissioner commends the Royal Commission for the work they have undertaken to date and their commitment to seeking the views and experiences of children and young people. Designing a system to ‘better meet the needs of those who interact with it’ and to ‘end gender-based violence in one...
Submission to the Independent Review of the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Act 2020
Climate change is seen by young people as a critical and urgent issue. Students want to be part of the change towards a greener future and to feel proud of their school and government in taking practical action to protect the environment. Members of the SA SRC have therefore developed the Greening...
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,...
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...
Submission on the draft Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024
The child protection system is still experiencing pressure from several directions for either (a) alienating many families and communities through a response that focuses on forensic investigations and child removal, or (b) a public discourse criticising the system for not ‘rescuing children’...
Seeing Ourselves Campaign Position Brief
Members of the South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) want all South Australian schools to regularly undertake a review of their policies, curriculum, co-curricular groups and staff, to ensure they embrace diversity and inclusiveness. Importantly, the review must be undertaken...
Our Future Our Vote Campaign Position Brief
Members of the South Australian Student Representative Council (SA SRC) want young people to have a say in the decisions that impact their lives and futures. It is important that young people’s voices are being heard, and that input from young people is included in decision making. Lowering the...
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...
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...
Smacking and Physical Punishment
People often have strong opinions about whether smacking is right or wrong, helpful or harmful, or whether parents should even have the right to smack their children. It can be overwhelming for parents when outsiders – including other parents, onlookers, politicians or various experts – weigh into...
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...
The need for a system response to harmful sexual behaviours in children
Harmful sexual behaviour observed in children is a taboo subject. No-one wants to talk about these behaviours when they see them in their own child, or others, with many parents, carers, teachers and service providers unsure how best to respond. The Commissioner for Children and Young People...
Submission on potential reform to South Australia’s knife laws
The reforms outlined in the discussion paper appear to be a rushed response in the wake of a small number of high-profile incidents. As the Discussion Paper acknowledges, South Australia already has ‘tough laws to address knife crime’ (page 2). Rather than pursuing this justice-driven response, I...
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...
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...
The Things That Matter 5
This fifth report from the Commissioner's Student Voice Postcards initiative reflects responses from 18,328 South Australian children who completed postcards in 2023 - up from 16,007 in 2022. Children told their Commissioner they want more time with the parents, more time to play and more trust. ...
Submission on the South Australian Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy 2024-2030
The Commissioner supports the prioritising of actions in the Strategy that will better support children and young people and their families. It is commendable the Strategy includes investing in child and youth-friendly infrastructure and accessible activities to strengthen communities, better...
Submission on the Draft SA Health Climate Change Framework
In the Commissioner's conversations and interactions with children and young people across SA, she has heard their concerns about the services that affect them and their aspirations and ideas for the future of our State. They have told the Commissioner what they need to live better, more...
Submission to the Inquiry into Sharing the Benefits of Growth with All South Australians
Children are not able to fully enjoy their rights in the same ways as adults do. Similarly, children are incapable of either fully contributing to or fully sharing in the benefits of economic growth independently. At the same time, the children and teenagers of today, are the future workforce upon...
Submission to the Parliament of South Australia’s Select Committee on Endometriosis
It is critical that the Select Committee on Endometriosis consider the rights, views and experiences of children and young people in South Australia. This submission comes directly from young people, and the Commissioner thanks Valeria Cacerez Galvez who took the lead in writing this submission....
Submission to the Inquiry into Civics Education, Engagement, and Participation in Australia
Children and young people have limited opportunities to shape the decisions that impact their lives. and their contributions are rarely regarded as equal to those of adults. They are frustrated with institutions that do not include them or represent their views, and which fail to take action on...
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...
Submission on the Department for Correctional Services’ next Women’s Framework and Action Plan
The Commissioner commends the Department for Correctional Services on several recent initiatives that recognise the parenting status of women in South Australia’s prisons, including the Mothers Matter program and infrastructure changes to make visiting spaces more family friendly. While these are...
Responding to Vaping at School: Approaches that Work
Vaping is something that is occurring in the context of our broader society. More needs to be done to counter online advertising and social media content around vaping, as well as introducing stronger public health messaging around the risks of vaping and its addictive qualities, particularly in...
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...
Submission about the Adelaide City Plan 2036
Where young people live, the facilities available to them locally, and their ease of access to school, activities and employment have an enormous impact on their lives and can mean the difference between getting on well in life and being impoverished. However, their views are seldom considered....
Submission on the proposed alternative diversion model for children under the raised age of criminal responsibility
The Commissioner is a strong advocate for raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 years, as recommended by the UN. However, the Commissioner notes some concerns about the lack of detail in the alternative model proposed by the Attorney-General. Particularly, the Commissioner is...
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...
What young people need to know about relationships and positive mental and sexual health
This Position Brief outlines what young South Australians want when it comes to relationships and sexual and mental health education. In 2023, the Commissioner asked South Australian students in Years 10, 11 & 12 what they needed to feel supported in their relationships and equipped to manage...
Why we need an overarching vision for children and young people’s health in South Australia
Although there are significant strategies and service providers in place throughout SA, including the state’s ten local health networks, the siloed and fragmented nature of these services means we have a system that is inefficient, with competing agendas and priority areas, and with policy design...
Seen But Not Heard
Keeping young people engaged with their education is a priority. It requires investment by governments, communities and families to resource and support young people’s ongoing participation in school, and to ensure school is rewarding and inspiring for all children and young people. Children and...
Submission on the Local Government Participation and Elections Review
Local councils play a critical role in realising children and young people's rights. Councils plan and provide for many services, facilities and spaces that shape community wellbeing and participation, including libraries, parks, and play and recreation facilities. Council decisions have a...
Submission on the Review of Sexual Consent Laws in South Australia
Sexual consent laws should reflect contemporary understandings of healthy sexuality and consent. And while the Commissioner is hopeful that legislative changes will drive progress towards meeting the outcomes of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-20232, there is more...
Submission to the Northern Adelaide Transport Study
The most significant challenge young people identify as a barrier to using public and active transport is safety. Transport is central to how young people experience their community and means that any barriers impact their capacity to participate fully in almost every aspect of their lives. The...
Submission on the potential for a Human Rights Act for South Australia
The Commissioner fully supports the introduction of a Human Rights Act for South Australia. From the Commissioner's regular conversations with South Australian children and young people, it's evident that current legal protections are inadequate. While many children are aware that governments have...
Teenagers and Work
Young people’s experiences of work impact their lives in many ways – not only in terms of their present and future workforce participation, but also in relation to their health, safety, wellbeing and education outcomes. For teenagers, having a paid job during high school is an extremely common...
Submission on a new cultural policy for South Australia
We know that enabling children and young people to learn about, experiment in, and engage in arts, culture and creative activities can have a big impact. It boosts civic engagement, provides a platform to explore important ideas and ways to express them, can have a protective effect against mental...
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 – 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...
Submission on Creating a More Child Focused Budget 2024/25
Submission to the South Australian Government on Creating a More Child Focused Budget 2024/25 published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
Submission on the Duty of Care and Climate Equity Bill, 2023
Submission on the Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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 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.
Why investing in school camps, field trips and excursions is good for students — Anti-Poverty Week
The benefits of active and immersive experiences are well understood, which is why many schools offer them. They provide students with a rich variety of activities outside the school setting, placing them in different environments that promote their participation and engagement with sporting,...
Submission on the 20 Year State Infrastructure Strategy, 2023
Submission on the 20 Year State Infrastructure Strategy published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission on the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan, 2023
Submission on the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
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...
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...
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...
Submission on the Multicultural Framework Review, 2023
Submission on the Multicultural Framework Review, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission to the CIO on Digital Connectivity, 2023
Submission to the Chief Information Officer on Digital Connectivity, Digital Connectivity is Integral to the Human Rights of Young People, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
Submission on Commonwealth Capabilities for Crisis Response, 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into the Recognition of Unpaid Carers published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission to the Inquiry into the Recognition of Unpaid Carers, 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into the Recognition of Unpaid Carers published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
The Things That Matter 4 | Views of 8-12 year olds on life, school and community
This fourth report from the Commissioner's Student Voice Postcards initiative reflects responses from 16,007 South Australian children who completed postcards in 2022. Children told the Commissioner about how much value they place on taking care of the environment and animals, kindness and...
Submission to the Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into Australia's Human Rights Framework published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
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...
Submission to the Royal Commission into OSHC, 2023
Submission to the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care (OSHC) published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
Submission on Changes to Tobacco and e-Cigarette Legislation, 2023
Submission on Proposed Changes to Tobacco and e-Cigarette Legislation published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission on the Early Years Strategy 2023
Submission on the Early Years Strategy published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
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...
Submission to the Inquiry into School Disruption 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into School Disruption, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission on Australia’s Vision for Science and Research, 2023
Submission on Revitalising Australia's Vision for Science and Research published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission on the Purpose of Public Education, 2023
Submission on the Purpose of Public Education published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission to the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, 2023
Submission to the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission on South Australia’s Autism Strategy, 2023
Submission on South Australia's Autism Strategy published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission to the Inquiry into the Extent and Nature of Poverty, 2023
Submission to the Inquiry into the Extent and Nature of Poverty published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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.
Submission on the draft Youth MHS Model of Care (SA), 2023
Submission on the draft Youth Mental Health Services Model of Care (SA) published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
Submission to the Review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA) 2023
Submission to the Review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA) published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2023.
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...
Submission to the Inquiry into School Refusal, 2022
Submission to the Inquiry into School Refusal, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2022.
Submission on the SA Skills Plan Concept, 2022
Submission on the South Australian Skills Plan Concept published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2022.
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...
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...
Submission on the Review of the (Safety) Act 2017, 2022
Submission to the Review of the Chidlren and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2022.
Submission on the Review of the (Safety) Act 2017 – Child Voice & Participation, 2022
Submission on the Review of the Chidlren and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 - Child Voice & Participation, published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2022.
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...
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...
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...
Submission on the Proposed Code of Conduct for Teachers, 2022
Submission on the Proposed Code of Conduct for Teachers published by the Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2022.