‘The Children’s Sensorium’ is a creative research project designed to support emotional resilience and well-being by allowing children to express themselves through sensory-based art installations and mindfulness practices. Led by Professor Grace McQuilten, the resulting exhibitions and immersive public programs were designed to be fully interactive so visitors could engage all senses in a fun and creative way. ‘The Children’s Sensorium’ was initiated as a response to a significant crisis in children’s well-being. The research drew from emerging literature on the impact of the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, and research data from the Kids Helpline and The Australian Federal Government’s 2021 National Children’s Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy (2021). Building on evidence of preventative strategies to aid children’s well-being and resilience, including mindfulness/embodiment, play and emotional intelligence, an ongoing series of interactive exhibitions was developed. To date, two exhibitions have been presented in Melbourne and Castlemaine, each complemented with a large public program comprising group activities and workshops in the space, with practical resources and take-home information.

Background In response to widespread concern over issues of sustainability and unethical practices, many fashion businesses are seeking out accreditation systems in a bid to mitigate consumer mistrust and communicate different ethical and sustainable aspects of their business models. Fashion social enterprises comprise a small but important section of the Australian fashion industry and as values- and mission-focused enterprises, they have a significantly higher incentive to validate claims regarding ethical or sustainable credentials. Within a landscape that includes 14 key third-party accreditation systems, Australian fashion social enterprises are faced with a complex task of navigating which accreditation systems are the most suitable for their business operations. Report Our report draws on the insights gained from a series of roundtable focus groups and in-depth interviews with academics and representatives from government agencies (GAs), accreditation organisations (AOs) and fashion social enterprises (FSEs). Our research identified six common issues regarding the implementation of ethical accreditation systems for fashion social enterprise: Cost of accreditation Value of accreditation Layering of accreditation Risks of using accreditation Risks of non-accreditation Expectation of ethical ‘perfection’. Together, the analysis of these issues provides a comprehensive picture of the challenges involved in the accreditation process and informs our recommendations of how the implementation of third-party accreditations can be better supported. Key findings Accreditation and certification systems have the potential to encourage the implementation of more ethical and sustainable practices in Australian FSEs and across the broader Australian fashion industry. However, as this research indicates, there are currently several barriers that prevent FSEs from becoming accredited through third-party systems and challenges that hinder these accreditation systems from having the impact they aim for. Based on the six common issues identified, we have established four recommendations to better facilitate the process of third-party ethical accreditation and certification: consumer education, cost subsidies and resourcing, baseline ethical standards, and regulation of accrediting bodies.