Children's Voices Centre: 2025 Summary report

The Children's Voices Centre (CVC) was launched 1 October 2025. In 2025 CVC staff, affiliates, HDR students and adjuncts produced 242 outputs documented in CRO including 6 books, 9 reports, 3 theses, 15 chapters, 97 journal articles, and 58 conference presentations. In 2025 CVC staff submitted 5 grants, generated $117,000 HERDC income (undertaking research with Worksafe Victoria, Catholic Education Tasmania, Orange Aboriginal Medical Service), and CVC received its first anonymous philanthropic donation of $30,000. Collaborative research with 20+ interdisciplinary affiliates (mostly early career researchers) resulted in Q1 journal articles and conference presentations with more underway. 

The World Health Organization has invited CVC to apply to become a collaborating centre in 2026 following a co-operative research program, official membership WHO Disability Health Equity Network, and presentations at WHO (Geneva, Fiji).  CVC research impact includes with United Nations Foundation (USA), Australian Government (Thriving Kids Inquiry, Disability Discrimination Act), Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (3-month exhibition). Leadership roles in International Clinical Phonetics and Linguistics Association (ICPLA) and European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA). Awards from Patras University (Greece), International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP, non-state actor of WHO). One CVC HDR student graduated as a CSU university medallist. Visiting scholars were from: Nord University (Norway), Wellcome Trust visiting scholar (UK), East Tennessee State University (USA).

• Books    6
• Reports    9
• Theses    3
• Chapters    15
• Journal articles    97
• Commentary    3
• Editorial    7
• Book/Film/Article review    2
• Contribution to specialist publication    15
• Conference presentation/poster    58
• Resources/Non-textual outputs    27
• TOTAL    242

 

ECIR Report for School of Education School Board Meeting

Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Research (ECIR) Sturt Scheme 

Presented by Prof Sharynne McLeod, Co-lead ECIR 

• https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains 
• ECIR presents a transformative research program promoting social justice for children, families and practitioners within early childhood. 
• ECIR’s research emphasises enhancing children’s access to, participation in and outcomes from equitable, quality early childhood programs and services, workforce sustainability, children’s rights, communication rights, and transformation of the social, policy and organisational conditions that enable social justice.

We build capacity for engaging in transformative research within our group and with other researchers.

• https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains/researchers-and-publications/ 
• • We provide an internship model of research capacity building where people actively contribute to research with the support of mentors. Research activities include: organising conferences, editing books, writing book chapters, running research projects, analysing data, writing journal articles, and supporting members to apply for promotion and grants. 
• • Contact us (ecir@csu.edu.au) if you would like to become a member. We welcome staff and research students from Charles Sturt University. 
• • ECIR members conduct transformational international research (currently 1234 research outputs): https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/organisations/early-childhood-interdisciplinary-research-group

CSU Research Excellence Award Winners 

• Research Winners: Early Childhood Interdisciplinary Research Group (ECIR) 
• Recognises and celebrates outstanding contributions of individuals and teams who engage in research excellence that contributes to the success of Charles Sturt and drives regional outcomes with global impact. 
• What the nomination was for: This nomination is for excellence in research capacity building. ECIR provides an internship model where early career researchers are well supported by more experienced researchers in a wide range of research activities including organising conferences, editing books, writing book chapters, running research projects, analysing data, writing journal articles, and applying for promotion and grants. Members work collaboratively on projects such as the hosting of the Early Childhood Voices Conference (ECV2022), recent submission of an edited book arising from ECV2020 presentations, and analysis of children’s drawings from across the globe. These joint projects develop knowledge, skills and experience for members to pursue their own research interests.

BOOK Early Childhood Voices (Springer)

• Mahony, L., McLeod, S., Salamon, A., Dwyer, J. (Eds.) (in press). Early childhood voices: Children, families, professionals. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783031564833 
• Following on from the internationally successful Early Childhood Voices Conferences in 2020 and 2022 (ECV2020 and ECV2022) members of ECIR have co-edited and co-authored a book to be published by Springer in 2024 that brings together professionals across multiple disciplines from 17 countries. 
• Here are some of the reviews: "Voice has been explored in early childhood before, but the focus of this book from a social justice perspective contextualizes voice work in a powerful way." "The interdisciplinary nature of the book is to be commended!" "The images of children and drawings by children bring the book to life and are a wonderful addition." "The book also tackles head on the diversity of experience and culture. It moves away from a privileged perspective on voice work and includes many chapters on complexity and challenges in life"

United Nations Human Rights 75 Youth Declaration

• Another exciting outcome from ECV2022 was an ECIR team response to the United Nations’ call for views of youth-led and youth-focused organizations and institutions on the future of human rights for the development of the Human Rights 75 Youth Declaration. Their ECIR group submission can be accessed on the United Nations’ website here: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/youth/hr75/submissions/subm-views-youth-led-cso-early-childhood-interdisciplinary-resear.pdf 

Early Childhood Voices Conference (ECV2024) 

• 25-28 November 2024 
• Call for abstracts opens in April 2024 
• Opportunities for CSU staff and research students to submit abstracts, be on conference committee, attend the conference, encourage children to participate. 
• “Children draw/create playing” will be one way children’s voices are profiled. 
• See ECV2022 https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains/early-childhood-voices-conference-2022/ The conference attracted 1,956 registrations from 72 countries as well as 6 keynote presentations and 95 oral presentations from 25 countries. During the week of the conference there were 6,431 page views from 1,358 users. In addition, there were over 3,517 YouTube views of the presentations and 243 hours of viewing. • ECV2022 was included in CSU's 2022 Sustainable Development Goals report 
• ECV2024 website is coming soon.

The Treehouse 

• UNDER DEVELOPMENT. Virtual and physical child-focussed space for research, teaching and the community. 
• Building 1451 on Bathurst campus.