Since its establishment in 1993, the National Centre has been working with the legal and justice systems to improve the conditions and opportunities of children and young people throughout Australia.
The work of the National Children's and Youth Law Centre can be divided into three core areas:
The Centre is at the forefront of public advocacy for the rights of children and young people. It lobbies governments and decision-making bodies to recognise and apply the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The National Centre has played a key role in a number of law reform campaigns. Examples include:
The National Centre supports the use of legal strategies to improve and protect the rights of children. The Centre maintains a focus on identifying and removing barriers of access and disadvantage for children from all sectors of Australian society.
In accordance with NCYLC's charter the Centre maintains a focus on disadvantaged children from all sectors of Australian society.
The Centre provides advice and information to children and young people. IT's website, Lawstuff, continues to provide legal information to all young Australians. The site has been described as one of Australia's leading legal websites, with over 5 million hits since its establishment. The establishment of LawMail in 1998 has allowed many young people to seek legal advice, referral and information by email.
The Centre is dedicated to innovation in the provision of information to children and young people that is both appropriate and nationally accessible.
The Centre undertakes a range of projects to further the interests of young people. These projects are designed to raise community awareness and aimed at children and young people, governments, advocates, educators and employers. Publications arising from these projects include:
The Centre is committed to assisting organisations and decision-makers in having an awareness of children's rights, and being more responsive to the needs of children as active members of society.