Launching the Voice of the Child
July 2025
The importance of embedding children’s voices in matters that concern them is gaining momentum in local and global policy. This approach can improve research relevance, service delivery, and health and wellbeing outcomes, but the first question can be the hardest: where do we start? The Voice of the Child toolkit is an evidence-based resource designed for researchers, service providers, clinicians and others keen to involve children and young people in their work – whether they are just starting out or looking to expand their skills.
Chair: Professor Sharon Goldfeld AM, Director of the Centre for Community Child Health
Speakers:
- Lee Constable, Child and Family Inclusion Lead at the National Child and Family Hubs Network
- Ken Knight, Head of Research Impact and Consumer Involvement at MCRI
- Janaya Cox, Branch Manager of Early Childhood and Parenting Wellbeing at the Commonwealth Department of Social Services
- Michael Preston, Executive Director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
- Lisa Haythorpe, Voice of the Child facilitator
- Alice Ghazarian, Voice of the Child Implementation Lead at the Centre for Community Child Health
Resources
- Lee Constable and Ken Knight - download here.
- Janaya Cox - download here.
- Michael Preston - download here.
The Voice of the Child Toolkit is an evidence-based resource designed for researchers, service providers, clinicians and others keen to involve children and young people in their work – whether they are just starting out or looking to expand their skills.
The 10-year Early Years Strategy 2024-2034 outlines how the Australian Government will help children aged 0-5 and their families to grow, learn and thrive.
In 2023, the Mental Health in Primary Schools team conducted focus groups with 65 primary school students from 14 schools.
June 2024
This rapid umbrella review aimed to provide an overview of when, how and to what extent children and young people are involved in the conduct of health research, as well as the reported benefits, challenges, and facilitators of involvement.