{"id":1618,"date":"2026-08-31T23:33:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1618"},"modified":"2026-08-31T23:33:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T13:33:20","slug":"cvc2026-keynote-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-keynote-4\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-Keynote 4 \u2013 Weaving play into the national fabric: What can we learn from international leaders in children\u2019s right to play?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\"><span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-Keynote-4<\/span><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><a name=\"_Toc182313869\"><\/a><strong>Weaving play into the national fabric: What can we learn from international leaders in children\u2019s right to play?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Robyn Monro Miller AM, <\/strong>Play Australia (IPA Australia Inc), Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026 - Keynote Speaker 4 - Weaving play into the national fabric: What can we learn from internat\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pr4-A4sn0eo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>Biography<\/strong>: Robyn Monro Miller AM is CEO of Play Australia, Australia\u2019s national peak body for children\u2019s play, and President of the International Play Association (IPA World). A 2024 Winston Churchill Fellow, Robyn travelled to eight countries to examine international approaches to children\u2019s right to play. She is a recognised leader in play advocacy, child rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and community development. Robyn was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2024 for her service to children and children\u2019s services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background: <\/strong>Children\u2019s right to play is enshrined in Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), yet in Australia this right remains significantly under-realised. Internationally, a small number of jurisdictions have embedded play sufficiency into legislation, policy, and funding frameworks in ways that produce measurable improvements in children\u2019s lives. As a Churchill Fellow, the presenter undertook study to examine these approaches and consider their application to the Australian context.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim: <\/strong>This presentation shares the findings of the Churchill Fellowship report <em>Weaving Play into the National Fabric<\/em>, which examined international policy and practice models that centre children\u2019s voices, protect time and space for play, and translate the right to play from aspiration into lived reality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method: <\/strong>Robyn engaged in direct observation, practitioner interviews, site visits, and policy analysis across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, and Canada. Sites visited included outdoor adventure playgrounds, forest schools, local government play planning offices, national play organisations, and community-led play spaces. Key informants included play workers, planners, researchers, child rights advocates, and government officials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings: <\/strong>Eleven consistent themes emerged across high-performing jurisdictions. These include legislative play sufficiency duties that require local governments to assess and address children\u2019s access to play, investment of philanthropy and government, the role of grass roots organisations in driving innovation, children\u2019s voices at the centre of provision; and strong national advocacy bodies that connect research, practice, and policy. In each context, children\u2019s voices were actively sought and used to shape the spaces and services available to them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>Australia has the foundations, the research evidence, and the advocacy networks to become a global leader in realising children\u2019s right to play. What is missing is the political will to weave play into a national policy architecture. Drawing on international comparators and the UNCRC framework, this presentation makes the case for a coordinated national approach that legislates for play sufficiency, invests in the play workforce, and places children\u2019s voices at the heart of planning and decision-making.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families: <\/strong>You have a right to play, and this research shows what is possible when governments take that right seriously. The lessons from countries around the world can help make sure that you have safe, exciting, and freely available places to play in your community, and that your voice is heard when those places are planned and built.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners: <\/strong>This research affirms the vital role you play in realising children\u2019s right to play. It points to the power of trained play workers, child-centred planning processes, and advocacy grounded in the UNCRC, and offers practical models from international jurisdictions that you can draw on to strengthen your own practice and systems-level advocacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords: <\/strong>play, children\u2019s voices, policy, child rights, well-being, international communities, community services, government, interdisciplinary, innovation<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal4\">SDG 4: Quality Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG 10: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal11\">SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal16\">SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal17\">SDG 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goals<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robyn Monro Miller AM, Play Australia (IPA Australia Inc), 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