The safety and wellbeing of children have rarely been out of the national spotlight this year.

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We've seen distressing accounts of abuse and neglect, stories of families in crisis, and reports of systems that have struggled to provide the protection and care children deserve.

Governments across Australia have responded, strengthening oversight, reforming legislation and committing to rebuild systems that are more responsive, accountable, and focused on prevention.

But reform isn't just about fixing what's broken after harm has occurred. It's about designing systems with children and young people, not merely for them.

Listening to children isn't a sentimental exercise. It's what makes systems safer, smarter and more effective.

When Australian Catholic University's Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) was established in 2005 in partnership with the ACT government, it was founded on a simple idea - that systems work best when they are shaped by the people they aim to serve.

Over 20 years, we've had the privilege of listening to thousands of children and young people including those who have experienced homelessness, family violence, disability, or out-of-home care.

Their insights have reshaped the way we think about child protection policy and reform.

In one of our earliest studies, a seven-year-old who had been homeless with her family was asked to take photos of things that were important.

She took a picture of the researcher's voice recorder.

When asked why, she said, "Because that's special - it's got my story on it."

She understood something many of us charged with reforming systems forget - children's stories are valuable, and their........

© Canberra Times