Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) - Welcome
Acknowledgment of Country
Children's Voices Conference 2026
CVC2026 is an interdisciplinary international conference that provides a platform for sharing research about innovative methods, theories, and partnerships with children, families, and practitioners. It supports social justice both during childhood and in the childhood sector.
CVC2026 is organised by the Charles Sturt University Children’s Voices Centre and is an opportunity to present research in a virtual online space. CVC2026 showcases the work of seven outstanding keynote presentations as well as 144 oral presentations.
- STREAM 1: Creating a more inclusive world for children: International interdisciplinary research
- STREAM 2: Children Draw Health Global Online Gallery
CVC2026 is held entirely online and asynchronously from 1–3 September 2026. There is no registration fee, and there are no fees to present or view the presentations.
Papers are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 8, SDG 10, and SDG 17.
Our hope is that this conference supports social justice during childhood and in the childhood sector across the world. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in organising, presenting, and participating in CVC2026. We particularly thank Professor Neena Mitter (Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research), who has championed our endeavours. Thank you, everyone.
Associate Professor Kathy Cologon, Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod, and Associate Professor Tamara Cumming
Charles Sturt University Children’s Voices Conference 2026 Conference Co-chairs
Dr Carolyn Gregoric
Charles Sturt University Children’s Voices Conference 2026 Conference Secretary
Emma Hayes
Charles Sturt University Children’s Voices Conference 2026 Conference Administrator
Conference Proceedings Book
Download Here
PDF, 2.51MB
Keynote Speakers
1. Amplifying the voices of children with disabilities in the health sector: An overview of WHO initiatives
Dr Mélanie Gréaux
World Health Organization, Switzerland
2. Leaving no child behind: Global trends and transformative actions in early childhood development and parenting support
Dr Chemba Raghavan UNICEF Global Center of Excellence, Nairobi, Kenya
3. Beyond Fauxclusion: Generative listening for an inclusive world
Dr Zinnia Mevawalla University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom
4. Weaving play into the national fabric: What can we learn from international leaders in children’s right to play?
Robyn Monro Miller AM
Play Australia (IPA Australia Inc), Australia
5. Stories that shape us: ABC Kids Early Education and the power of reflective media engagement
Laura Stone
Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) Kids, Australia
7.
Panel 1: Children’s perspectives on the Australian Disability Discrimination Act: Barriers, fairness and belonging
Panel 2: Child friendly healthcare: Children’s perspectives from the Children Draw Health project
Children’s Advisory Group with Associate Professor Kathy Cologon
Charles Sturt University Children’s Voices Centre
Children's Voices Conference: International interdisciplinary research
Presentations By Topics
- All
- Children's communication
- Children's health and disability
- Children's inclusion
- Children's learning and activities
- Children's rights, voices, and perspectives
- Children's services workforce and policy
- Presentations
- All
- Children's communication
- Children's health and disability
- Children's inclusion
- Children's learning and activities
- Children's rights, voices, and perspectives
- Children's services workforce and policy
- Presentations
CVC2026-664 – Making visual art visible beyond sight: Anti-ableist pedagogy, children’s participation, and inclusive artmaking
Kathy Cologon, Children’s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia Zinnia Mevawalla, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom Olivia Karaolis, University of Notre Dame, Australia
CVC2026-665 – Creating evidence-based guidelines for culturally responsive clinical practices: Supporting accurate diagnosis of speech sound disorder in Icelandic-Polish speaking children
Kathryn Crowe, University of Iceland, Iceland; Thora Másdóttir, University of Iceland, Iceland; Marc Daníel Skipstað Volhardt, University of Iceland, Iceland; Jóna Erlandsdóttir, University of Iceland, ...
CVC2026-666 – Assessment of inclusive education practices in the Schools Division of Batangas City
Rosalina Panganiban, Schools Division of Batangas City, Philippines
CVC2026-667 – The Nigerian children’s parliament: Adult structure or children’s space?
Ewajesu Okewumi, The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
CVC2026-668 – Translating early childhood policy: How teams of educators negotiate quality for children
Jessamine Giese, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
CVC2026-669 – Difficulty of phonological tasks in Polish-speaking preschoolers with and without speech sound disorders
Agata Trębacz-Ritter, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland
CVC2026-670 – Aspects of early childhood speech in Louisiana
Lindsey Bergeron, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, United States; Claire Glaeser, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, United States; Elena Babatsouli, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, ...
CVC2026-671 – “What do children want?”: Educators’ interpretation of children’s voices in creating equitable learning environments in school-age educare
Maryna Rosen, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
CVC2026-672 – Risk of early literacy difficulties in Polish-speaking preschoolers with speech sound disorders
Agata Trębacz-Ritter, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland
CVC2026-673 – “This is me”: Children’s drawings as multimodal meaning-making, identity construction and participation in early childhood
Josephine Deguara, University of Malta, Malta
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The work of the Children’s Voices Centre supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 8, 10, 17 (and others). Each CVC2026 presentation will be aligned with relevant SDGs.
Children’s Voices Global Online Gallery
Children are invited to share their ideas about belonging by creating drawings, artwork, podcasts or postcards about being together, feeling included, or being part of something. Submitted works will be displayed in a global online gallery. To submit a child’s work, please use the online submission forms here: