Listening to the voices of children and young people

Rev Josie Neuendorff explores how we can support and enable children and young people to speak up because every voice matters.

In accepting the 2021 Australian of the Year award, Grace Tame spoke about her own experience of child sexual abuse.

She spoke about the importance of education as a primary means of prevention. She shared it starts with a conversation. She spoke of the importance of listening and hearing, and that every voice matters.

The National Safe Church Unit applauds Grace’s bravery in using her lived experience to fight for better support for others who have experienced child sexual abuse and for sharing her experience to help inform action to prevent such abuse.

Listening to the voices of children and young people is critical to ensuring that we are a safe church for all people. It is a foundational element of the Principles for a Child Safe UCA.

The National Safe Church Unit, in conversation with the Rev. Josie Neuendorff, explores how we can support and enable children and young people to speak up, and how we can take action to ensure that we hear what they say because, in the words of our Australian of the Year, every voice matters.