Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic occurred at a time when children’s mental health was already seen to be in crisis in Australia and globally.4 UNICEF’s report, The State of the World’s Children 2021, argues that ‘the pandemic may represent the tip of a mental health iceberg—an iceberg we have ignored for far too long’.5 The National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan (Response Plan) identified children as one of its priority population groups.6 The Response Plan presents key principles, priority areas, and actions to guide Australia’s response to the pandemic. Six of the ten priority areas are particularly relevant to children. These include: • 1 SECTION 16 | meeting immediate mental health and well-being needs by adapting current services and proactively engaging with those in need (Priority Area 1) • implementing new models of care to meet emerging needs that focus on strengthening our communities and community-based care (Priority Area 2) • facilitating access to care through coordination and integration (Priority Area 3) • meeting the needs of our most at risk with targeted responses that acknowledge the unique experiences and diverse requirements of vulnerable populations (Priority Area 6) • communicating clearly with strategies that inform, provide consistent messages, and use community communication as a prevention tool (Priority Area 7) • providing strong governance and integrated coordination of Australia’s federated mental health (Priority Area 10). In 2021, the National Mental Health Commission (NMHC) asked the National Children’s Commissioner (NCC) to examine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of children. It specifically asked the NCC to examine: • the impacts of the pandemic on children in different circumstances and locations • the mental health and related support and interventions required to support them, their families, and communities • the main and unique challenges and barriers experienced by children during the pandemic • actions that can be taken to address the priority action areas of the Response Plan, and other priority issues identified by children. To explore these issues, the NCC conducted surveys with 4,559 children and young people aged 9–17 years, and 2,796 parents/guardians and grandparents, supported by interviews and roundtables with key stakeholders. This report outlines the findings from the surveys, interviews and roundtables. The findings demonstrate that, in order to support children through the pandemic and beyond, we need to address the systemic issues highlighted by the responses of children and those who care for them. Making children a national policy priority and reforming the systems that support children and their families is critical to ensuring positive mental health and wellbeing are available to children across Australia. In this report, children are defined as all those below the age of 18 years, consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). ‘Mental health shapes my life’: COVID-19 & kids’ wellbeing • 2022 | 17