National Child Protection Week 

This message captures the essence of National Child Protection Week which aims to promote a safe and healthy life for every child, now and into the future. 

In 2023, the message that ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’ will be complemented with the theme ‘Where we start matters’. Where we start our lives in terms of where we live, the resources available to us, and the opportunities presented to us make a significant difference to our life outcomes.

Where we start in offering children and their families support and assistance makes a significant difference to life outcomes. Where we start as decision makers in addressing large complex problems such as child abuse and neglect, also has a significant personal, social and economic outcomes.

We invite you to use this theme to explore and talk about the many ways that ‘where we start matters’ for children, young people and their families.

Of course where we start isn’t where we finish.

The aim of Child Protection Week is to bring together partners to focus on addressing the significant harms being experienced by children in Australia. By working collectively to change the trajectory of these children and families, we can reduce the number of children who may come in contact with the child protection system. The time to act is now.

You can use this theme in ways that are most relevant to you, for instance this could include focusing on:

• Supporting parents to access services so that all families have the opportunity to give every child a great start
• Supporting organisations to be safe and child-focused so they can give every child a great start
• Supporting communities and making sure that every neighbourhood has what it needs to give every child a great start