CBCity Children's Summit Report

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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.

Shops/ resturants The people/ community Parks, fauna, flora Facilities, services, clubs Sporting facilities Nice places Schools Activities Other 22% 19% 9% 8% 5% 5% 9% 8% 15%
Crime/ anti-social Potholes Cost of living Dirty area/ unkept Specific areas/ shops/people Pollution/ sustainability Drugs and alcohol Smoking and vaping Weather/ climate Roads and Traffic Sporting facilities Other 17% 17% 9% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 4% 4% 10%
Safety Activities Rubbish/ unkept Schools Cost of living Roads Shops/ restaurants Drug and alcohol Smoking and Vaping Pollution/ sustainability Toilets Other 19% 18% 11% 11% 8% 7% 7% 3% 3% 3% 2% 8%

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