Child Friendly Interviews

Anyone who knows me knows that I hold one value above almost anything else: children deserve to be heard. Properly heard. And if I’m honest, this strongly held view has led to more than a few heated discussions. It’s easy to agree that children have rights, until those rights ask something of us as adults. That’s when people often become selective about what they believe those rights should look like in practice.

Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, I was five years old at the time. It still surprises me that, in the span of one lifetime, we’ve only relatively recently recognised children’s rights in law. Among these rights are not just the right to be safe, which most people readily accept, but also the right to participate, to express themselves, and to have their voices taken seriously (Articles 12 and 13).

I count myself fortunate that my personal and professional values align. My work has given me the privilege of listening to children, really listening. In conducting child‑friendly interviews in early childhood settings, I’ve sat with some incredibly brave little people. As an unfamiliar adult entering their world, it takes time, patience and skill to help them feel safe enough to share their worries, while also empowering them to recognise safe and unsafe people without placing them at further risk.

Exploring a child’s experience of harm is never easy. But offering them a space free of judgement, fear or punishment is essential. Their stories deserve air, not silence.

Because ultimately, I would far rather hear a child speak about their harm than live in a society where their fears go unnoticed, unreported, or uninvestigated simply because we choose not to listen to their words, or to their behaviour. Children tell us the truth in many ways. It’s our job to pay attention.