Giving children a voice in Australia's response to family violence
When Australia talks about ending family violence, children must be part of the conversation.
This month, Emerge Women & Children's Support Network CEO appeared before the Senate Inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system to share more than 50 years of frontline experience supporting women and children impacted by family violence.
Our message was clear: if we are serious about preventing future violence, we must recognise children as victim-survivors in their own right and invest in evidence-based early intervention that addresses trauma before it becomes crisis.
The missing piece
Every day, Emerge works alongside children whose lives have been shaped by family violence.
Some are as young as five years old.
Many are displaying challenging or aggressive behaviours linked to trauma. Some are hurting siblings, parents or peers - not because they are "bad children", but because they are communicating the profound impact of violence they've experienced.
Without specialist support, these children are far more likely to experience school exclusion, child protection involvement, out-of-home care and, ultimately, contact with the youth justice system.
We told the Inquiry:
"The child is often lost. Programs and services don't respond to their individual needs."
Breaking the cycle
Through our evidence-based Back on Track program, Emerge works with children aged 5-12 and their safe caregiver to interrupt this trajectory before it becomes entrenched.
The program supports children to understand and regulate emotions, strengthen relationships, reconnect with school and develop healthy, non-violent ways of responding to adversity.
An independent evaluation by the RMIT Centre for Innovative Justice found that:
- Every participating child demonstrated a significant reduction, or complete cessation, of unsafe behaviours.
- Every child re-engaged safely with school.
- Caregivers reported safer homes, stronger attachment and increased confidence.
- Families described renewed hope for the future.
These outcomes demonstrate that when children receive the right support early, recovery is possible.
Children are not just part of the family - they are people in their own right.
One of the strongest messages shared with the Inquiry was the need to recognise children as individual victim-survivors.
Too often, systems are designed around a single "family unit", meaning children's distinct experiences and recovery needs are overlooked.
Recognising children as individuals with their own rights is fundamental to building systems that truly prevent violence rather than simply responding to its consequences.
Looking forward
Ending family violence requires more than crisis responses.
It requires investment in prevention, early intervention and evidence-based programs that recognise children not only as witnesses to violence, but as people whose futures can be changed through timely support.
At Emerge, we remain committed to driving innovative practice that disrupts the cycles of family violence because every child deserves the opportunity to heal, thrive and build a future free from violence.
Photo by Serina Bird on Unsplash