The Most Important Song this Christmas is sung by a group of talented children aged between 4 and 14 to bring a sense of hope this festive season, while raising money for children who have experienced trauma, such as abuse and neglect.
“Christmas can often be a challenging time for many children and families. We hope this emotive version of ‘Jingle Bells’ allows people time to reflect on the past 12 months and encourages them to donate to children who need vital support,” Doctor Katrina Lines, Act for Kids CEO said.
Sadly, more children every year are experiencing the traumatic impacts of abuse and neglect.
In 2020-21 there were 531,000 reports made to child protection authorities. Of those, 49,690 were confirmed substantiations.
“Worryingly, this figure continues to grow every year, which is why we really need people to dig deep and donate what you can to The Most Important Song this Christmas so we can get children off our waiting lists and receiving life changing therapy to heal from trauma.”
Act for Kids supported more than 40,000 people over the past 12 months. Of those, 23,005 were children who had experienced trauma or were at-risk of harm.
“We are expecting to see an influx of calls for support from families who have never needed help before this festive season. We know many families are under a lot of stress at the moment, including financial pressure with the rising costs of living, which can have a flow on impact to a child’s wellbeing,” Dr Lines explained.
Unfortunately, rates of domestic and family violence have also started increasing in the lead up to Christmas. Factors like excessive spending, increased alcohol consumption, gambling and emotional abuse can contribute to a surge in cases of domestic and family violence over the holiday period.
“We’re encouraging everyone to check in on their loved ones and friends and make sure they’re okay during this time. We’re also asking adults to be mindful of their actions around children with kids learning behaviours from those around them,” Dr Lines said.
Act for Kids will see the impact of the surge in the new year as calls for support increase across our centres.
To listen to the song and to donate to The Most Important Song this Christmas head to our website: www.actforkids.com.au/Christmas
Click here for vision & to meet the voices behind the song.
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