Australian researchers are doing some incredible work in the value of children to our community. Last week I attended the Australia Institute for Families Studies conference in Melbourne, and I was blown away by the compassionate research being undertaken to understand the needs of children in our systems. The standout was hearing from grandparent carer, Henriella Kareko, tell how she fought the system to keep her grandchildren out of poverty and provide a safe family life for them. With the help of Wanslea, her grandchildren are doing well because of the Wellness Retreats and support. We know that 66 per cent of grand carers live below the poverty line because social payments are not available to provide for the children. This is a community of people who would be recognised in a Child Poverty Reduction Act to ensure they receive the support they so deserve.
We also heard from Caroline Whitehouse on her work into the first few hours after a child is sexually assaulted and how our systems need to ensure they don’t further traumatise children and their families.
Dr Stephan Lund and I presented the findings from our Survey into Adults Attitudes and reiterated our call for a national Children’s Minister with great interest to the community, including Australia Childrens’ Commission Anne Hollonds.
Check out our survey here Attitude Survey Report
