We want all young Queenslanders to be connected with their communities and to be respectfully included in and influence the decisions being made about them. To act in their best interests, we apply an approach that affirms child rights, and involve youth participation in all our activities.
This framework outlines how we give children and young people genuine opportunities to participate in decision making, to give full effect to the realisation of their rights. It demonstrates our commitment to connecting with them, supporting them in sharing their views, amplifying what they tell us, and influencing decision makers with their ideas. It has been co-designed with a core group of Youth Advocates who have been instrumental in the establishment of the new child and youth participation approach, model and elements.
This framework also explicitly supports our commitment to the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and families. It does this by establishing clear actions and accountability for embedding culturally safe and responsive practices throughout our work.