Policy, research and submissions

Ensuring the voices of children, young people and their families are represented at all levels of government.

Last updated: 08 Jan 2026

Our commitment to representation and evidence-based solutions

We are dedicated to ensuring the voices of children, young people and their families are represented at all levels of government.

We are proactive in preparing submissions to governmental bodies and other relevant stakeholders. These submissions serve as powerful advocacy tools, highlighting the needs and concerns of children, families and the workforce that supports them.

Our research initiatives generate valuable insights into the challenges faced by children and families and potential solutions to address these challenges. With a firm commitment to evidence-based practices, our research not only informs our own work but also contributes to broader discussions and policymaking processes.

Our latest government submissions
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Submission
Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicide The Cente's submission provides an evidence‑informed overview of the complex relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) and suicide, viewed through a child and family services lens. It draws on research, sector insights and lived experience to highlight how children, caregivers and family systems are affected by intersecting risks that are too often overlooked in policy and practice. By bringing together key findings and implications, this resource aims to strengthen understanding, support more coordinated responses, and advocate for child‑ and family‑centred approaches that reduce harm, enhance safety, and improve outcomes across systems.
Submission
Submission to the 2026-27 Victorian State Budget The Centre calls for a budget that continues to invest in early intervention and prevention and ensuring that children, young people, their families and carers continue to thrive.
Submission
Getting to Fair: Advancing Equity Draft Strategy The Centre’s submission focused on embedding fairness at the point of service delivery for families experiencing hardship, disadvantage and vulnerability. 
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Gender Equality as a National Security and Economic Security Imperative The Centre’s submission on gender equality highlights how this issue is central to Australia’s economic strength, national security and the wellbeing of children and families.

Treating Families Fairly

Treating Families Fairly is an alliance of child and family service organisations, peak bodies, and academic experts advocating for fair and respectful social policy.

Formed in 2017, the alliance emerged in response to concerns about the impact of conditional welfare policies on families and the services that support them. Our work highlights the critical link between poverty, social security systems, and child and family wellbeing. We call for policy reform upholding dignity, reducing harm, and building a more equitable future for all families.

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Latest policy and research news from the Centre
Guiding the safe & ethical use of artificial intelligence across child and family services

Guiding the safe & ethical use of artificial intelligence across child and family services

10 Apr 2026

The Centre is developing a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy to support the safe, ethical and effective use of AI across our organisation and the wider child and family services sector.
Submission to the 2026-27 Commonwealth Budget

Submission to the 2026-27 Commonwealth Budget

12 Mar 2026

The Federal Government has a watershed opportunity to implement a bold and visionary budget which places children at its heart and draws on the best available evidence of what works to keep children, young people, families and communities safe and thriving.
Submission to the 2026-27 Victoria State Budget

Submission to the 2026-27 Victoria State Budget

24 Feb 2026

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare is calling on the Victorian Government to prioritise early intervention, family support and child-centred systems in the 2026–27 State Budget.
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The latest Research Review
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Generation Trapped. Housing, handouts, and the collapse of young Australians’ life satisfaction This CIS paper examines the lives, aspirations, values, and perceived barriers of Australians aged 18–34.
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No child left behind: Report into the Thriving Kids initiative This inquiry report examines how Australia can better support children aged eight and under with developmental delay or disability, in the context of NDIS growth and long‑standing system challenges. Drawing on submissions, hearings and evidence reviews, the report outlines pressures in scheme design, clinical pathways, data quality and education, noting that children with mild to moderate needs often face long waits and fragmented support. It assesses early‑identification models, equity impacts for First Nations and culturally diverse families, and workforce gaps. The report makes sixteen recommendations to strengthen early, evidence‑based, accessible supports.
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‘A moment of reckoning’: Recent developments in Victoria’s child safety framework This paper from Parliament of Victoria outlines major reforms to Victoria’s child safety framework following the July 2025 charges involving over two hundred offences in early childhood education and care centres in Melbourne’s west. Drawing on recent inquiries and long‑standing sector reviews, the authors describe vulnerabilities in worker screening, fragmented information‑sharing and complex regulatory settings dating back to the Royal Commission. Between August and December 2025, four Acts introduced changes, including an independent early childhood regulator and a workforce register. The paper highlights how this crisis accelerated long‑needed reforms, with national alignment also underway.
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Safeguarding children from child sexual abuse This scoping review from the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), commissioned by the Queensland Child Death Review Board, synthesises evidence on safeguarding children from child sexual abuse in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. Guided by the socio‑ecological model, the review analysed literature, policy and legislation from Australia and comparable international jurisdictions, with the Griffith case providing contextual framing. The report highlights the need for comprehensive, multi‑layered prevention strategies, emphasising a strong culture of child safety, foundational staff training, effective reporting and grooming awareness, and robust information‑sharing mechanisms. The authors argue that safeguarding must be embedded across all levels of ECEC systems.

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The Centre’s membership benefits build collaboration, advocacy, and capacity within the child and family services sector, ensuring a more resilient and supportive environment that provides better outcomes for children and families.
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