We have decided to tell our story differently because we want love to take centre stage. This is why…

Children trace love in moments of connection. A newborn feels his mum’s heartbeat as he is held tightly and stops crying. A toddler giggles when her dad acts out a scary monster who scoops her high up into the air. On the first day of school, Nanna packs her grand-daughter her favourite Vegemite sandwich cut in the shape of a kangaroo. The teenager laughs at his sister’s attempt to run as fast as him so she can keep up.

Love beats out a rhythm that allows a child to learn and grow. It weaves itself into the fabric of the way that children make sense of their world. It gives them the permission to explore the edges of who they are becoming, from the safety of knowing their relationships are secure.

Love emerges as a quality of the relationships that embrace children. It nurtures confidence. It celebrates the everyday experience of childhood. It builds trust. It offers certainty and stability. Love is just there. Children don’t have to look for it. It is in a hug. It is in the fun of a tickle. It erupts with laughter and joy. It is shared when children and their carers hold hands.

Love is a powerful force in the lives of all children. It should never be underestimated in relation to what it can do.
Our new logo expresses a set of beliefs about children and the relationships that support them and nurture them. We believe that children are the centre of the life of a family and community. The little orange heart in the middle of the logo is a child. The dots which surround the heart are all the people in a child’s world – parents, carers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, cousins, teachers, coaches, doctors, friends and the broader community. The colours intensify towards the centre, showing how the most important relationships have the strongest influence in the lives of children. The heart and the dots, the child and their relationships – are interconnected.

Love radiates towards the centre – towards children. The dots appear to ripple as love passes through them surrounding the heart of a child. Our new logo shows community in action around children – highlighting the village, the set of relationships that all children need to ensure they have a safe and loved childhood.

The Foundation’s central purpose is to work to bring love back to children affected by the trauma of child abuse and family violence. For this very reason, we believe that really valuing the kindness, sensitivity, trust and love that good relationships provide children is a way to make it harder for violence to keep its hold in our families and communities.

The new logo comes with an invitation to join us in being active to defend the right of all children to a safe and loved childhood. It is our way of fighting back against the violence that threatens to engulf the lives of so many of our children. You can become a Childhood Defender and work with us to make a safe and loved childhood a priority in your local community.

It is the start of what we hope will become a movement that spreads across Australia. The #DefendChildhood movement empowers all of us to take a lead in resourcing and celebrating relationships in which children are loved, cared for and protected.

Love means the world to children. Help us make sure that children have as much of it as they need.