CVC: Widening children's participation in research scoping review project

Today Dr Carolyn Gregoric led a meeting with our CVC affiliates titled "Widening children's participation in research scoping review project". Claudio Dionigi provided advice on scoping reviews and Covidence.

 

Just published - Children’s drawings of intervention for childhood apraxia of speech

How exciting - this paper has just been published.

McCormack, J., Cronin, A., McLeod, S., Ireland, M., Wang, C., & Tiong, C. (2025). Children’s drawings of intervention for childhood apraxia of speech: Place, people, activity, and emotion. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590251375340

Exiting for two reasons - summarises our Once Upon a Time research grant + first paper to be accepted for our Child Language Teaching and Therapy special issue! 

Here are the drawings that have been included as figures in our paper. These depict the participants' insights into undertaking DTTC intervention.

 

Data analysis about speech-language pathologists in US schools

 This morning I met with Marie Ireland and LaVae to discuss the data analysis for our nine tensions paper. 1011 responses submitted, 885 responses completed (and not duplicated) after data cleaning by Kate Crowe. Now the fun begins as we find out what they said. Marie has submitted an abstract for a conference in 2026 in Australia - hope it is accepted - so she can come and present this work.

Marie, Sharynne  and LaVae

 

 

BIG TASK - Copyediting the Oxford Handbook

All of the copyedited chapter files (80 chapters) and figure files arrived this week! There is a lot of work to be done to finalise these in the next two weeks. Thank you Helen Blake for your assistance - we make a great team!

Book pitch - Vaccination is under threat: Communication is the solution

 I am mentoring Dr Ros Cox in the writing and publication of her book "Vaccination is under threat: Communication is the solution". She pitches the book with the publishers today. Best wishes Ros! Can't wait to work with you on this.

 

Charles Sturt University is a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network

Today we received the welcome news that we have been accepted as a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network.

We are pleased to welcome Charles Sturt University as a member of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network. Please find attached the Disability Health Equity Network membership certificate for your entity, and a copy of the Terms of reference for the Network. 

CSU's application was focused on the work of the Children's Voices Centre. We are proud to work with WHO to change the lives of children and others with disabilities and the workforce, families and communities who support them.

We have added this partnership to our CVC website: https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/engage-with-us 

 

Terms of Reference

The WHO Disability Health Equity Network (hereinafter referred to as the Network)
envisions health equity for all persons with disabilities in support of the implementation
of the WHA74.8 Resolution on the Highest attainable standard of health for persons with
disabilities and advance WHO’s work on closing the avoidable health gaps between
persons with disabilities and the broader population. The Network aims to advance the
GPW14 Strategic Objective 4: Improve health service coverage and financial protection to
address inequity and gender inequalities; more specifically:
• 4.1. Equity in access to quality services improved for noncommunicable diseases,
mental health conditions and communicable diseases, while addressing antimicrobial
resistance; and
• 4.2. Equity in access to sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent,
and older person health and nutrition services and immunization coverage improved.
It also advances the goal of leaving no one behind.

Cheers from our team: Sharynne, Suzanne, Holly 

 

Discussion of research outcomes with OAMS

Today Sarah Bartlett and I visited the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (OAMS) to discuss the outcomes of the research we have undertaken with them since March 2023 (officially from 2024-June 2025). We are writing four journal articles with the team. What a warm and encouraging discussion about the findings. Jamie Newman, the CEO said "we will speak for you and you can speak for us". Thank you Jamie and congratulations on the wonderful care you and your team show for the families in our region.

 We were delighted to see that the Little Libraries were messy - and that the reception staff said they were used all the time :)

 

 

Children's Voices Centre newsletter

Our Children's Voices Centre Newsletter - Edition 1 - was released during our launch on 1st October 2025. It contains 28 pages of wonderful work of the whole CVC family.

CEO Jamie Newman, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service reading about our collaborations on pages 4 and 21

 

 

Launch of the Children's Voices Centre

Yesterday (1st October 2025) we launched the Children's Voices Centre (CVC). What a landmark moment in my life. Thank you to Associate Professors Tamara Cumming and Kathy Cologon, Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Lorraine Bennett and CVC affiliates, and everyone who has helped us build the CVC.

Here is the LinkedIn post from our Deputy Vice Chancellor - Research, Professor Neena Mitter, who opened the Centre: 

Yesterday’s launch of the Children’s Voices Centre in Bathurst was one of those rare moments that stays with you.
To see children, families, researchers, and the community gathered together to celebrate the power of children’s voices was deeply moving. It reminded me how research is not just about data or outcomes — it is about people, connections, and creating spaces where every voice matters.
The Children’s Voices Centre is already making an extraordinary impact:

• Children from 18 countries have contributed to the Children Draw Health project, sharing their perspectives on wellbeing.
• Researchers have produced a landmark 1,000+ page Oxford Handbook with 173 authors across 49 languages, reshaping how the world understands multilingual children’s speech.
• Collaborations with the World Health Organization are ensuring children’s voices influence health equity on a global stage.
• Collaborations with families and professionals in 100+ languages and dialects.

Congratulations to Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod Associate Professors Tamara Cumming and Kathy Cologon, and Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Lorraine Bennett and affiliates on bringing this vision to life. As the children who spoke at the launch emphasised, the Children’s Voices Centre will be a beacon for children and families, amplifying voices that too often go unheard.
I feel grateful to have witnessed this beginning and look forward to seeing the journey ahead.
Read more in the Children’s Voices Centre newsletter https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/news-and-events #CharlesSturtResearch #ChildrensVoicesCentre #RegionalImpact #CommunicationRights

CVC staff: Tamara, Sharynne, Kathy, Carolyn (Lorraine)

Here is the CSU media release before the launch:

Shaping a better world for children ─ innovative new research centre opens in Bathurst

https://news.csu.edu.au/in-brief/shaping-a-better-world-for-children-innovative-new-research-centre-opens-in-bathurst

Thank you to our amazing CVC staff who orchestrated the entire event: A/Prof Tamara Cumming, A/Prof Kathy Cologon, Dr Carolyn Gregoric and Lorraine Bennett (this accomplishment is even more remarkable because they are all part time – between them they only work 2.6FTE!).

Special moments at the launch included:

• Powerful speeches by Finbar (11), Zac (9) and Chloe (7) where they presented their vision for the world supported by Associate Professor Kathy Cologon
• The speech by Professor Neena Mitter, our Deputy Vice Chancellor Research where she described the achievements and aspirations of CVC
• Our special guests, the Australian Children’s Laureate Ms Sally Rippin, with her co-authors, Eliza Hull and Daniel Gray-Barnett who read their new book, The World We Can Build https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au/books/the-world-we-can-build-by-sally-rippin/9781761213601 
• Acknowledgment of Country from Professor Tony Dreise, Pro Vice Chancellor (First Nations)
• The arrival of our VIPs – children from Mitchell Early Learning Centre and Member for Calare, Andrew Gee
• Cutting the ribbon and unveiling the plaque by Finbar, Knox and DVCR Neena Mitter.
• Charlie the Cockatoo (Felix) welcoming guests with Lorraine Bennett and Carolyn Gregoric

Here are some more photos from the launch 

Professor Tony Dreise, Pro Vice Chancellor (First Nations)

Associate Director, A/Prof Tamara Cumming

Director, Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod

Charlie the Cockatoo (Felix) with Sharynne

Charlie the Cockatoo (Felix) with Lorraine Benett, Sharynne McLeod and Dean of FOAE Andrew Hope

Pat McKenna, Sharynne  Prof McLeod, Prof Neena Mitter, Prof Andrew Hope

Prof Tony Dreise, Prof Sharynne McLeod, Prof Neena Mitter, A/Prof Kathy Cologon

Prof Tony Dreise, Sarah Bartlett, Dr Carolyn Gregoric, Prof Neena Mitter

A/Prof Tamara Cumming

Adam and Chloe preparing to present a speech

A/Prof Kathy Cologon, Chloe, Zach and Finbar

Finbar's speech

Chloe's speech

The attentive VIPs

Some of the crowd

Children playing at the back of The Treehouse during the launch

A/Prof Tamara Cumming and Prof Neena Mitter

CVC song being lead by Zach, David, Finbar, Brendon and Kathy

Activities for children and adults after the launch