Child Friendly City

Shellharbour is home to more than 12,000 children!

We know that children are very important for the future of our city. That's why we are making a Child Friendly City Action Plan!

The Child Friendly City action plan is all about making Shellharbour into a place where children thrive. In Shellharbour, we are already working toward this by:

• Listening to the voices in our community
• Creating places for play and recreation in local parks and reserves
• Exciting experiences for families through programs, workshops and events
• Clean & accessible pools, stadiums and other recreation facilities Inspire learning through library resources and programs
• Keep families safe by investing in safe city and crime prevention
• Supporting families and communities that need it
• Much more!

How do we know if we’re getting it right?

Our action plan aims to identify the values and needs of our community, as well as opportunities to improve what we are already doing. We have spoken with over 480 children, families and service providers across the city. We gave children many different ways to share their thoughts. This included drawing pictures (see some of them below!), talking, creative play and more. Check out some of the engagement we have done so far...

Where to next?

We are currently working on drafting the action plan for release in 2023. Watch this page for more information!

How can I give feedback or get involved?

If you would like to know more about the action plan or be part of future consultation, we'd love to hear from you! Contact us at council@shellharbour.nsw.gov.au. 

Check out some amazing Child Friendly community initiatives below!
	School students participated in a children's forum. In this activity, they were given a budget to build their town for a community of families. They had to work as a teeam and prioritise services and resourcs and explain why they made their decisions.
	Through drawing, writing or craft activities, kids were able to tell us things they like about shellharbour. This told us important information about what is important to children.
	We popped up at many community events, community groups and programs across the city to talk to families and hear their voices and opinions. We heard lots of stories and suggestions for families to thrive in shellharbour.
	We got creative with how people could engage and share their thoughts. This included varying the way we collected data including voting, anonymous opinions, conversations and creative expression.
	Kids really love communicating creatively. We gave them some Lego and asked them to build us their dream park or play space. We saw some really creative, inventive and thoughtful ideas come about!