Page 1334 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
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alongside other services, including the child development service and ACT Health’s maternal and child health services, midwifery services and nutrition services.
Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit one of the fabulous child and family centres will know just how popular they are with a diversity of families. Over recent years, the centres have strengthened their focus on engaging with more vulnerable and complex families using a targeted early intervention model. This allows the centres to vary the intensity of the support they offer to best meet the individual needs of families.
Madam Speaker, the final priority area of the commitment is to include children and young people in decision-making, especially in areas that affect them, ensuring that they are informed and have a voice. Youth InterACT, the ACT government youth participation strategy, is an important contributor to delivering on this priority. The strategy encourages participation by young people in the community, providing opportunities for young people to contribute to discussions on youth issues and to participate in government policies and programs on matters concerning young people.
The Youth Advisory Council is a key vehicle for the government to provide young people between 12 and 25 years with an opportunity to take a leading role in participation and consultation activities on issues that affect their lives. In 2018 the Youth Advisory Council worked on a number of activities to address key priorities, including raising awareness of employment rights and entitlements for young people and creating accessible information on sexual health and wellbeing by partnering with Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT on a postcard project.
The council has also been working closely with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate in relation to its priority to ensure that Canberra is both a sustainable and youth-friendly city. The Youth Advisory Council is also central to assisting the government with broader engagement and participation in activities such as Youth Week and the ACT Youth Assembly. Applications are currently open for new Youth Advisory Council members and I urge anyone who knows a young person who may be interested to encourage them to apply.
Madam Speaker, as demonstrated by the diverse examples highlighted today—just a selection of the many things the ACT government is doing to support the wellbeing of children and young people in our community—the territory is well positioned to continue to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people.
The information reported in the publication A picture of ACT’s children and young people 2018 enables us to reflect on areas for further improvement and supports the development of evidence-based policies and programs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff in the Community Services Directorate and across other directorates who have contributed and who continue to contribute to this very important work. I present the following paper:
ACT Children and Young People’s Commitment 2015-2025—Progress update on implementation—Ministerial statement, 4 April 2019.
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