The Valuing Children Initiative works to ensure that all children in Australia experience the caring, safe, and supported childhood they deserve.

The fact that we continue to see poor outcomes for children in so many different areas is not because it’s impossible to do better or because we don’t recognise that children have rights. In the simplest of terms, the reason we continue to see such outcomes is because children are just not a high enough priority.

Established in 2016, the Valuing Children Initiative recognises the significant contribution that children and young people make to our society in the here and now. Children bind families and communities together. They bring laughter and love into our lives. They remind us of the importance of play, to be curious, to notice life’s small details, to be creative, spontaneous, and honest, to value relationships and to appreciate the natural world. Children are innovative and optimistic. Their endless energy and enthusiasm gives us hope for the future.

The Valuing Children Initiative seeks to shift individual and collective attitudes so that it is ordinary and commonplace for adults to recognise and acknowledge the value of children. If more adults value the contribution of children then more adults will advocate for children so it’s an important precursor to improved outcomes for kids.

The Valuing Children Initiative advocates for all children on many issues.

VCI is a project of the not-for-profit organisation, Centrecare.