CBCity Children's Summit Report 2023
Overview
The CBCity Children’s Summit was designed to provide a meaningful opportunity to hear children’s voices and enable them to participate in conversations about issues affecting them. Understanding children’s perspectives will support Council and other local services in designing new initiatives and influencing existing practices to better suit children’s needs. There was no prerequisite for how students were selected to attend, with children reflecting a range of different opinions and backgrounds.
Objectives
The CBCity Children’s Summit offered creative opportunities for older primary school students to:
• Create a space for their ideas and comments to be heard, captured and validated;
• Better understand their place and impact in CBCity;
• Discuss children’s rights and safeguards, in theory and in practice, as they relate directly to them;
• Brainstorm ways in which challenges are opportunities;
• Explore “in a perfect world” and “what if” scenarios
Background
To support the Child Safe Standards Bill, passed in November 2021 by the NSW Parliament, the Child Safe Scheme was introduced. It’s a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The Scheme provides a standard for how organisations can protect children by creating and maintaining child-safe cultures, operations and environments.
One of the ten-point Child Safe Standards is: Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
To meet this Standard, the CBCity Children’s Summit explored ways of supporting meaningful engagement with children and informing them of their rights.
Council’s Child-Friendly Cities Action Plan guides this work with Canterbury-Bankstown children and young people by;
• 5.4 Participation - education
⚬ Educate all children and young people about their rights through the provision of information and programs at education and care centres, youth centres and community facilities such as libraries.
• 5.6 Belonging – inclusivity
⚬ Partner with local organisations, to develop a variety of creative and social programs, that enable culturally diverse young people to share their stories, celebrate their culture and contribute to the richness of the CanterburyBankstown community.
Digital engagement
Those who couldn’t attend the summit were given the opportunity to take part on the Have Your Say webpage by providing drawings, videos or short notes.
24 schools
took part on the Have Your Say webpage.
We received
48.55% said they
liked playgrounds the most in their area
47.83%
459 contributions said they liked the shopping centres
This morning was fun because we got to play bingo with other schools and I got to meet new people.
Summit
Best thing about Canterbury-Bankstown
Evaluation
public schools in attendance
independent facilitator from local community child, family and youth organisations at each table
Worst thing about Canterbury-Bankstown
Things to improve/change about Canterbury-Bankstown
Final thoughts
Children’s responses : liked a lot or liked a fair bit 100% liked a lot
Many children found the Summit enjoyable, especailly the consultation from the team from the Advocate of Childern and Young People (ACYP). It was an opportunity to have their voice heard and to share what was important to them.
Almost half of the children would not change anything and found it an enjoyable day.
Teacher’s responses:
1 6 95%
The information provided by the children highlights their concerns and desires for a safer, cleaner, fun and inclusive Canterbury-Bankstown.
Council recommends providing continuous opportunities for ongoing discussions and projects allowing for civic education, community engagement and child-led projects, such as the establishment of a ‘Kids Crew’.
It’s hoped that in the future, children’s voices, ideas and projects can be embedded into our work, and children and young people are informed of their rights, can participate in decisions affecting them and be taken seriously.