– making the links between children’s rights and wellbeing explicit. The consultation draft for these principles can be downloaded from the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

This project is a key action in the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020. This Framework is a long term collaboration and commitment between the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments and the non-government sector and key researchers that focuses on keeping Australia’s children and young people safe and well. The Third Action Plan prioritises efforts on prevention and early intervention activities and strengthening abilities of organisations, families and communities to care for their children and young people. Implementation of the Third Action Plan is also informed by the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

A child rights approach recognises, respects and protects the rights of children in the development and implementation of laws, policies, practices and other decisions affecting them. These rights are set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child which Australia ratified in 1990.

An approach that recognises, respects and protects children’s rights requires a move away from child protection approaches that perceive children as subjects in need of assistance rather than as individuals with rights.

A child rights approach supports the strengths and resources of the child and surrounding social systems such as family, school, community, institutions and religious and cultural systems.