This week, Pathfinders is joining communities across Australia to recognise National Child Protection Week 2026 and the role we all have in creating environments where children and young people feel safe, supported, valued and heard.
This year’s theme, Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action, asks us to think beyond simply starting conversations about child safety.
Listening matters. Asking questions matters. Creating opportunities for children and young people to speak openly matters. But those conversations become truly meaningful when we take what we hear seriously and turn it into action.
For Pathfinders, this message connects strongly with the work our teams do every day alongside children, young people, families and communities.
This week, our Out of Home Care team in the Northern Territory joined children, families, community members and local services at the Greater Darwin Region Child Protection Week Celebration at Esplanade Park.
The afternoon brought the community together with activities, entertainment, food and plenty of opportunities for children and families to connect.
At the Pathfinders stall, we wanted to do something a little different.
We asked children and young people two simple questions:
What makes someone easy to talk to?
If you could change one thing adults do, what would it be?
Throughout the afternoon, the board filled with thoughtful and honest responses.
Children and young people have their own views about the people, relationships and environments that help them feel comfortable and safe. Giving them genuine opportunities to share those views helps adults better understand what children need from us.
National Child Protection Week reminds us that when children and young people tell us what they need, when they share a concern, or when something does not feel right, adults have a responsibility to listen, take them seriously and act.
Every conversation matters – and what we do next matters too.
Pathfinders would like to thank everyone who visited our stall at the Greater Darwin Region Child Protection Week Celebration and the organisers and services who helped bring such a positive community event together.
Most importantly, thank you to the children and young people who shared their thoughts with us. We’re listening.
