Building futures so kids can shine. Supporting children and young people.
Building futures so kids can shine. Supporting children and young people.
Building futures so kids can shine. Supporting children and young people.
Latest News
Who we are
We are passionate about transforming the lives of children and young people who have contact with the criminal justice system.
We are the only national charity that provides services to support children and young people from infancy to adulthood.
Our stories
“I choose to be the best mum I can be”: What Becky* gained from parenting program, in her words
Mum Becky* has completed our Keeping Us Together program at Dillwynia Correctional Centre. Here she reflects on what she’s gained from the program and the future she wants to build for her […]
Central Coast kids mentoring success in 2022
In 2022, our SHINE for Kids school Mentoring Program was launched on the Central Coast to support local kids facing the hardship of having a parent in custody. Our team has been […]
“Listening and Showing Up”: Mentors making a difference for young people in juvenile justice
To mark International Volunteer Day 2022, we spoke with Rachel, one of our wonderful volunteer mentors working with a young person in juvenile justice in Western Sydney. Rachel has been a volunteer […]
Robots, AI and Virtual Reality : Technology Day inspires kids
Our kids in Melbourne had an amazing experience thanks to the team at Deloitte Digital who volunteered their time to help us deliver our first Technology Day! A group of very excited […]
A Tee-Ball captain and increased school attendance: Wins for our Frankston kids
Our mentoring team in Frankston, Victoria have reported some big wins for their kids this past year! While the team say all of the kids in Victoria have shown admirable growth, they […]
“I tell him RISE is coming to school today and he is happy to go”: Little boy thrives with RISE
Our RISE Clarence Coordinator has been connecting with incredibly resilient children and their families across the Clarence Valley. One of these students is Adam*, who is 9 years old. Adam was referred […]
Love at first sight for dad meeting newborn daughter
Our team in Queensland have been supporting this dad to connect with his newborn daughter. As he says, the support has completely changed his family’s life. Thank you to this father for […]
Two young men’s strong bond, in good times and bad
Mason* has spent most of his teenage years going between out-of-home care and custody. He’s no longer in contact with his family and finds it difficult to maintain positive relationships. Mason was […]
Proud day for family and their SHINE For Kids volunteer
One of our wonderful long time volunteers Dennis recently reached out to us to pass on some lovely news. He and his wife had just attended the graduation of a young woman […]
Kids the winners as Rugby team play for SHINE
Recently one of our fabulous citizen fundraisers Ryan got together a group of Bathurst rugby playing friends and acquaintances for a fun day and a good cause to play in the Annual […]
New experiences and confidence building for SHINE’s Townsville kids
“Days like today are tiring but boy are they worth it. I travelled to the outing with a car full of silent children, the return trip was anything but silent.” – Priscilla, […]
Sam’s year of kicking goals
Sam, a young Aboriginal boy in the Stand As One mentoring program, was just 15 when he went into custody at Frank Baxter Youth Justice Centre. Sam was the youngest person at […]
Storytime helped Timothy repair his relationship with his sons
Timothy had been in custody at Clarence Correctional Centre for eight months when he joined the Storytime program. It was his first time in custody and he was really struggling with missing […]
Keeping connected to mum during the toughest of times
Mia, Declan and Timmy have been living with their grandmother since their dad was incarcerated four years ago. Their mum was also sent into custody two years after dad while she was […]
Latest News
SHINE calls on NSW Government to Better Support Children of Imprisoned Parents
Media Release – 12 January 2023 Child advocacy and support group, SHINE for Kids, has called on the NSW Government to prioritise progressing the recommendations made by Parliamentary Committee inquiring into children […]
Take our National Survey for families and carers
Is your child’s mum or dad in custody? Or do you care for a child with a parent or both parents in custody? You have valuable insight into what needs to be […]
Speech Pathology Australia podcast with SHINE for Kids
Our team in the ACT were interviewed by Speech Pathology Australia Senior Advisor, Justice Mary Woodward. They discuss the unique challenges children in custody face and the ways speech pathologists can better […]
Colour Run brings kids & mums closer together
The mums and kids had an amazing time at our big Colour Run event at Townsville Women’s Correctional Centre (TWCC)! The staff at TWCC went above and beyond to help our team […]
2022 AIFS Conference success for SHINE for Kids as big issues presented
Two members of our Executive team had the pleasure of attending this year’s AIFS Conference in Melbourne to share SHINE for Kids’ work and research. The AIFS Conference attracts internationally renowned experts […]
Order your Family Connection Packs
We’ve been getting creative so kids can remain connected with their parent in custody. For the August to October period, we have created Family Connection Packs which include activities for Father’s Day, Book […]
Victoria takes next step to better support children of imprisoned parents
Thursday, 4 August 2022 Around 7,000 Victorian children have a parent in jail at any time, with evidence showing they can experience significant emotional, financial, health, education and discriminatory repercussions. These children […]
First group of mums graduate from Keeping US Together at Emu Plains
The first group of mums to participate in Keeping Us Together at Emu Plains Correctional Centre have graduated! The 3-week program covered 6 chapters and the graduation was organised by Kelly Austin, Principal Advisor of […]
Children & Families
If you have a family member in prison, take a look at our programs which help them stay connected to their children. We also have programs for children whose mum or dad is in custody.
Professionals
Find out about our work in advocacy and research on family connectedness and wellbeing and criminological outcomes for prisoners.
Volunteers
When you volunteer with us you help children and young people in many ways. Find out more.
Shine TV
Hear from families, our team, volunteers, and supporters about the work we do and the lives we touch. Our videos give a voice to children impacted by parental incarceration and bring attention to the issues they face.
