

The Valuing Children Initiative is driven by a passion for children’s wellbeing. We work to ensure that all children in Australia experience the caring, safe, and supported childhood they deserve.
The fact that we continue to see poor outcomes for children in so many different areas is not because it’s impossible to do better or because we don’t know how to do better. In the simplest of terms, the reason we continue to see such outcomes is because children are just not a high enough priority.
The Valuing Children Initiative is working hard to change this
We recognise the significant contribution that children and young people make to our society in the here and now. Children bind families and communities together. They bring laughter and love into our lives. They remind us of the importance of play, to be curious, to notice life’s small details, to be creative, spontaneous, and honest, to value relationships and to appreciate the natural world. Children are innovative and optimistic. Their endless energy and enthusiasm gives us hope for the future.
The Valuing Children Initiative seeks to shift individual and collective attitudes so that it is ordinary and commonplace for adults to recognise and acknowledge the value of children. If more adults value the contribution of children then more adults will advocate for children so it’s an important precursor to improved outcomes for kids.
Our work is centred around four pillars:
Listening – We recognise the importance of listening to children
Voice – We encourage children’s perspectives and participation
Safety – We believe all children should be safe and consider this to be a community responsibility
Growth – We believe all children should be given the opportunities and supports they need to reach their full potential.
The Valuing Children Initiative is interested in all issues that impact children and young people. For example, children’s rights, including children and young people in decision making, online safety, abuse and neglect, child poverty, mental health, education, childhood obesity, child friendly urban planning, family violence, promoting the importance of play and environmental issues are areas of interest. This is not an exhaustive list. In fact, most societal issues do impact children, but as society we don’t always recognise the impact or consider the world from a child’s perspective.
Our vision is broad, and our approach is unique. We work strategically and creatively to achieve change. Think advocacy, research, education, policy recommendations, partnerships, events, opinion pieces, resources, community art projects and activities to raise public awareness.
Mentorship, for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists aged 16 years and over.
MEDIA RELEASE May 4, 2022
It’s fair to say, these are troubling times. In recent months and years Australians...
MEDIA RELEASE March 29, 2022 The Valuing Children Initiative (VCI) has today released its...
Media release: VCI Launch 'Every Child is Valuable' campaign
MEDIA RELEASE – NOVEMBER 17, 2021 The Valuing Children Initiative (VCI) is proud to...
MEDIA RELEASE December 8, 2021 What do you get when you combine baseball and...
MEDIA RELEASE: AUGUST 24, 2021 The Valuing Children Initiative (VCI) is celebrating Book Week...
WACOSS Conference | 22 – 24 February 2021 The WACOSS Finding Ground: Building a...
Published 15/02/2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on countries, communities and...
MEDIA RELEASE 9 DECEMBER 2020 Community services in WA have identified children as the...
Perth Heat and the Valuing Children Initiative are excited to invite you to THE...
Family Matters Report 2020 – NOVEMBER 16, 2020 Media Release by Family Matters has...
Create your own song with Scott Griffiths aka Optamus from Downsyde! Get the chance...
We’re excited to announce our partnership with the Act-Belong-Commit campaign. The Valuing Children Initiative...
Written by Natalie Caudle & illustrated by Aleisha Zappia We are pleased to introduce...
State Government launches Emergency Telehealth | Western Suburbs Weekly WA kids now have a...
Extracts From Article: No Child Left Behind 16,000 children are at risk of destitution...
Extracts From Article: ‘What’s surprising is the scale of the problem’: One in seven...
WACOSS Community Relief and Resilience Conference 2017. The Valuing Children Initiative was established in...
Extracts From Article: Why recovery needs to have children at its centre In the...
Highlights From Valuing Children Initiative Newsletter July 2020 We at the Valuing Children Initiative...
Round table discussion “Reducing the harm: Let’s talk about children and pornography” This August,...
Linda Savage speaks about the work of the Valuing Children Initiative which was established...
Child Aware Approaches Conference 2017 Thank you for joining me this morning. My name...
Submission to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse The Valuing...
VCI Round-table discussions 1-3 The focus of the VCI is on society’s attitudes towards...
How many Royal Commissions does it take to keep children safe? A decade ago...
How modern, affluent 21st-century Australian society can tolerate a life for other people’s children...
80 percent of Australians are worried about the health and happiness of future generations...
Short Termism – The enemy of Children and Future Generations The tendency to focus...
Valuing Children Initiative calls for a minister for minors In Australia, almost 18 percent...
Valuing children crucial to safety and well-being of children With recent reports of children...
PART C – Synopsis of the VCI Benchmark Survey 2016 Part C – April...
PART B – Synopsis of the VCI Benchmark Survey 2016 Part B – March...
PART A – Synopsis of the VCI Benchmark Survey 2016 Part A considers the...
A Valuing Children Ambassador At a special event held in Perth last week, I...
Lance Chadd – Valuing Children through his art Lance Chadd, a Nyoongar Aboriginal artist...
A Valuing Children Ambassador We are delighted to announce that Dr. Sue Packer, AM;...
E Brain Rountable- How nature is being replaced by screentime On 29 May, the...
Passionate children’s advocate, Professor Fiona Stanley endorses The Valuing Children Initiative (VCI). Speaking via video,...
70% of Australians say that children ‘belong’ to their parents. A survey commissioned by...
63% of Australians say that a child’s word is still less likely to be...
2017 marks a critical juncture for children’s safety and wellbeing. As two Royal Commissions...
Media Release Growing frustration amongst voters, and a sense of dis-empowerment, has led to...
The Valuing Children Initiative Benchmark Survey: 2016 (the Survey) has found that 80% of...
As two Royal Commissions currently examine the mistreatment of children, the Valuing Children Initiative...
The Valuing Children Initiative again calls for the appointment of a national minister for...