Safer Children, Safer Communities 2023 Impact Report

Our 2023 Safer Children, Safer Communities Impact Report details the efforts of our grant recipients, strategic partners, employees, and our stakeholders to keep children and young people safe in Australia and across Asia.

10 April 2024 - 5 minutes read

What's in this article

  • FY23 Year in Review – Collective progress of Westpac and our partners

 

A Sing&Grow group program organised by Play Matters Australia - a 2020 Impact Grant recipient.

The Safer Children, Safer Communities 2023 Impact Report (PDF 5MB) details the efforts of our grant recipients, strategic partners, employees and our stakeholders to keep children and young people safe in Australia and across Asia in Year 4 of our work program.

Our focus on child safeguarding is integrated in our fourth Human Rights Position Statement and Action Plan (PDF 976KB) - setting our actions and areas of improvement on child safeguarding.

We know more needs to be done and we will continue to collaborate with our partners, share insights and engage in initiatives to help protect children and young people from harm.

FY23 Year in Review1 – Collective progress of Westpac and our partners

The Safer Children, Safer Communities work program continues to deliver across its four ambitions:

1. Catalyse change

  • $18.9 million committed in funding to child safeguarding organisations. This takes the total funding committed by Westpac since 2020 to $61 million, supporting 50+ organisations across Australia and Asia.
  • Integrated our child safeguarding approach into our Human Rights Position Statement and Action Plan (PDF 976KB)
  • 960+ Westpac employees completed a Safety by Design training module.
     

2. Help protect children

  • 257,000+ children, young people and adults reached through programs delivered by partners, supported by our funding in Australia and Asia.2 This includes:
    • 17,700+ children, young people and adults reached in Asia alone.
    • 142 victim rescues supported by International Justice Mission (IJM) in the Philippines.
    • 4,800+ children and adults in the Philippines and Thailand participated in education programs as a result of Westpac funding to Save the Children Australia.
  • 7 local organisations funded across regional SA, NSW and QLD to improve safety outcomes for children and young people as part of place-based funding from Westpac to The Benevolent Society.
  • 40 organisations delivered their programs, research or activities, including in collaboration with another organisation, as a result of Westpac funding.
     

3. Raise awareness

  • With 5 founding corporate members, launched ‘On Us: Australian Business Coalition for Safeguarding Children’.
  • 37 businesses, 23 business leaders3 and 5 industry associations engaged through the ‘On Us’ initiative.4
  • Westpac funds supported research institutes produce 6 unique studies for use at conferences, workshops and published in journals.5 
     

4. Accelerate unity of action

  • Approximately $1.2 million6 in funding committed cumulatively through ICMEC Australia’s Child Protection Fund (CPF) as a result of Westpac funding to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) Australia.
  • 21 industry organisations collaborated with ICMEC Australia, including Australian financial services organisations, law enforcement and regulators to share insights to fight Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC).
  • 7 data collaboration projects facilitated by ICMEC Australia to help prevent OSEC using Westpac funding.
  1. All data relates to the FY23 financial year 1 October 2022 – 30 September 2023, unless stated otherwise. Information derived from grant recipients has been received by Westpac. They have not been independently verified, and Westpac makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information.
  2. This includes children, young people and adults who were directly and indirectly reached through the programs. The reach data also includes training, education and capacity building programs delivered by partners through a mix of face-to-face and online forums. Some data from FY22 (April – September 2022) has also been included, due to delayed reporting by some grant recipients.
  3. General Manager level and above.
  4. This includes the number of additional Australian businesses, additional business leaders and additional industry associations reached by direct face-to face-conversations, direct online meetings, direct training activities, and direct advocacy efforts.
  5. Research data is for October 2022 – March 2023 (first half of FY23), remaining data (second half of FY23) available in April 2024.
  6. This is cumulative funding awarded from 2020 onwards.