20th December 2024
🎄 Seasons Greetings from ARACY! 🎄
Wishing you a joyful festive season and a wonderful New Year filled with hope, happiness, and wellbeing.
Our office will be closed from Wednesday, 25 December 2024, to Friday, 3 January 2025, to give our team a well-earned break. We’ll be back on Monday, 6 January, ready to continue working towards a better future for all children and young people.
Our newsletters will be taking a short break during the Christmas period and will resume on the 24th of January.
Thank you for your support throughout the year – we look forward to collaborating with you in 2025!
Warm regards,
The ARACY Team
ARACY 2024 RECAP
A year ago ARACY signed an Equity Partnership Agreement with Indigenous consultancy Riteways, led by Dr John Davis, marking a commitment to embedding First Nations perspectives in our work.
This partnership began our journey to decolonise practices, address systemic inequalities, and honour over 65,000 years of culture. Guided by Dr Davis, we aim to foster healing and create a future built on respect, equity, and intergenerational justice.
In May, ARACY proudly launched a new logo to reflect our holistic approach to children’s wellbeing.
Shaped like Australia, it acknowledged where we work and honoured First Nations people and their enduring connection to Country. The logo’s continuous ribbon symbolised the interconnected domains of The Nest, our wellbeing framework, and the tailored support systems needed for every child to thrive.
With our mission, “Every child thriving,” at its heart, the logo became a symbol of hope and our unwavering commitment to a brighter future for all young Australians.
In October, ARACY proudly launched its new website, designed to better connect and inform our community about the wellbeing of children and young people in Australia. With a fresh, user-friendly design and improved navigation, the website highlights our advocacy efforts, resources like The Nest framework, and key initiatives such as the Australian Children’s Wellbeing Index.
Also in May, Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership, supported by The John Villiers Trust, released the Thriving Kids In Disasters Report. This report is a great guide for putting children first during disasters using the six domains of The Nest, Australia’s Wellbeing Framework for Children and Young People, developed by ARACY.
In June The Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children announced the establishment of their First Nations Leadership Council and Community Leadership Council.
The Leadership Councils operate as guiding and advisory bodies, bringing community and First Nations perspectives to the forefront of the Investment Dialogue to ensure multiple diverse perspectives are incorporated into its operations.
The first meetings of each Leadership Council took place virtually, with the First Nations Leadership Council meeting on 7 May and the Community Leadership Council meeting on 9 May.
In July, ARACY warmly welcomed Prue Warrilow as CEO. Prue brings extensive experience in child and youth policy and service delivery, including leading Families At Work, chairing Families Australia for nine years, and serving as Chair of Y NSW for three years.
Board Chair Adjunct Associate Professor Shamal Dass praised Prue’s expertise and vision to guide ARACY into its next chapter, while also thanking Roslyn Dundas for her dedicated leadership as acting CEO during a time of significant change.
Prue shared her excitement “I’m thrilled to join ARACY and contribute to its impactful work supporting children and young people to thrive, including initiatives like the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership and the Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children.”
Recommended by LinkedIn
In September the latest report in the Australian Children's Wellbeing Index series (a collaboration between ARACY and UNICEF Australia) was released.
Empowering Young Minds focuses on the Learning domain and examines Australia's current state of education. Despite advancements in universal education, significant disparities persist, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The report highlights key data to inform policy decisions aimed at ensuring equitable access to quality education for all children, thereby enhancing their overall wellbeing and long-term success.
In November we shared a new success story video, "Parenting Well Despite," highlighting the powerful impact of the MECSH (Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home Visiting) model. The right@home program helps families build strong foundations by supporting parents with practical, ongoing care from the start—right at home. In this story, discover how dedicated home-visiting professionals work side by side with parents to promote child health, development, and wellbeing. Watch the story unfold and see the difference home support can make for parents and children alike!
The Future Healthy Countdown 2030, launched in November, is a vital framework and hard-hitting consensus statement designed to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Supported by Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), the Countdown launches amid pressing issues such as growing wealth inequalities, the climate crisis, and high rates of mental distress, all of which disproportionately affect Australia’s next generation of children and young people.
On 15 November 2024, leaders from community, philanthropy and government came together on Kaurna Country in Adelaide for the 2024 Investment Dialogue for Australia’s Children roundtable.
Hosted at The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, this gathering focused on listening to community voices and identifying ways to improve wellbeing and reduce intergenerational disadvantage for children, young people, and families across Australia.
The Executive Convenor for the Investment Dialogue Simon Factor shared: “Uniquely placed in bringing together philanthropy, government and community, the Investment Dialogue is creating the space for ambitious conversations which are often difficult to have or too quickly get sidelined.
“We have the opportunity to amplify each other’s strengths, partner on innovation and better coordinate investments. This is translating into significant commitments to work with community to create the conditions for intergenerational change and tangible outcomes for children and families.”
OUR ADVOCACY
Some of our campaigns and submissions this year include:
WEBINARS
Some of the webinars we hosted throughout the year, catch up on the recordings now.
What do you think of this week's newsletter?