The Including Children and Young People Reference Group, consisting of Centre and member representatives, along with the CREATE Foundation, Office of the Child Safety Commissioner, and DHS, has been re-invigorated during the latter part of 2008.  Centre members on this Group include Berry Street and Reach out for Kids Foundation. This group is now focussing on determining key priorities on how the Charter for Children in OOHC can be used to ensure improved practice and culture within CSOs; entry into care packs; it will also concentrate on identifiying good practice around our membership on meaningful inclusion of the voices of children and young people in program and policy work at the CSO level.

More recently consultations were held with young people to focus on the Charter for Children in OOHC as well as on information about entry into care processes, and what to expect in care. CREATE and Berry Street undertook four consultations during October 2008. Feedback on these was provided to the November Reference Group meeting , and these findings are now being supplemented by the BeHeard consultations being run by the Office of the Child Safety Commissioner and CREATE. 

Please Click here to access information about the Be-Heard project

An action plan for embedding the Charter for Children, along with good practice in engaging with children and young people in policy and program development, will be worked on by members of the Reference Group during December and into 2009.

The Including Children and Young People Reference Group will continue to meet bi-monthly throughout 2009, commencing in February.