Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
www.aifs.gov.au/growingup

Participant information

Updates from 2006 - October 2007

APPROVAL FROM EDUCATION AUTHORITIES

Growing Up in Australia has been granted written approval from education authorities across Australia to approach schools and teachers to participate in the study.

Teachers or principals may view the letter of approval applicable to their school.

2007 CALENDAR AND NEWSLETTER

All families were sent a 2007 calendar and the latest Growing Up in Australia newsletter (PDF 407KB) in December. If you haven't received your copy, please contact 1800 005 508.

REPEAT OF Life at 1 SERIES

Life at 1 will be screened again on ABC2 (digital only) in January 2007:

7pm and 9.30pm, Sunday 21 January, 2007
7pm and 9.30pm, Sunday 28 January, 2007

DOCUMENTARY: Life at 1

A documentary by Film Australia, inspired by the Growing Up in Australia study, will be screened on the ABC at 8.30pm on Thursday, 12 and 19 October. Life at 1 is the first instalment in a series following 11 babies and their families over time.

Life at 1 follows the babies through milestone events and days of ordinary routine, and looks at the impact on their lives of factors such as the relationship between parents, the family's financial position, the impact of work on family life and parent's health and education.

The documentary explores what makes the children thrive along with restrictions on their growth and wellbeing, with information provided by the children's families, information from experts (including members of the Growing Up in Australia Consortium Advisory Group) and with reference to data from the Growing Up in Australia study. It is important to note however that the families in Life at 1 were recruited separately from the Growing Up in Australia respondents and are not part of the main study.

Episode 1 focuses on the personalities of the babies and Episode 2 examines the stress of 'modern living' on the children.

Although Life at 1 draws on many aspects of the Growing Up in Australia study, there are some differences:

The families in Life at 1 were recruited separately from the Growing Up in Australia study.
Life at 1 shows experts providing information on the 11 families and children recruited for this documentary. However, any information provided to the Growing Up in Australia study will remain confidential. All interviewers, researchers and others involved with the main study must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Privacy Amendments Act 2001. Interviewers and personnel involved in the study are also subject to the provisions of the Commonwealth Crimes Act 1914, Section 70, Disclosure of information by Commonwealth officers.
Some activities depicted in Life at 1 (e.g. leaving the child with a stranger, cortisol testing and gauging children's reactions to scary toys) were undertaken specifically for the documentary and are not conducted in the Growing Up in Australia study.

Further information about the Life at 1 documentary can be found at abc.net.au/tv/life or www.filmaust.com.au

SECOND WAVE OF INTERVIEWS

The second wave of interviews for Growing Up in Australia is now underway, with the study returning to hear from children and families about the children's development and progress since the last interview, which occurred about two years ago. The second wave of interviews began in late 2005, however most families will be contacted between March and November 2006.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is collecting the information this time. The interviewers who have already contacted families for this phase of the study are enjoying meeting all the families and children and are finding that the families and children are also finding the experience worthwhile and interesting.

An overview of what families and children can expect during this phase of the study is given in a brochure that is being sent out to families prior to the interviewer making contact. You can download the brochure here (PDF 135K).

If you have moved house or changed other contact details, it would really help if you ring 1800 005 508 to update your information.

2006 CALENDAR AND NEWSLETTER

During December, all families in the study have been sent the 2006 Growing Up in Australia calendar and the latest newsletter (PDF 422K). If you haven't received your copy, please contact 1800 005 508.

MAIL OUT QUESTIONNAIRES

Thank you to all the families who completed the mail-out questionnaire. Over 70 per cent of families returned these forms or completed the questionnaire online. It has been wonderful to hear from you and find out some of the things that have been happening in the lives of the study children since the first interview. Results from this part of the study will be available in August this year.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE STUDY?

More information about the Growing Up in Australia Study is available on the publications page including newsletters, discussion papers, articles and brochures, and publicity material.

PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO US

We have received some really positive feedback from parents who are involved in the study, and also some amusing anecdotes. If you have any feedback about being in the study that you would like to pass on please contact us by email at lsacweb@aifs.gov.au or by phone on freecall 1800 005 508.

CONTACT US

Growing Up in Australia
Freecall 1800 005 508
Australian Institute of Family Studies
Level 20, 485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000, Australia.
Tel: (03) 9214 7888, Fax: (03) 9214 7839
Web: http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup/

PREVIOUS INFORMATION

We plan to keep you informed about Growing Up in Australia by regularly updating this page. For reference, previous updates will still be available.

2003 - introductory information about the study, questions to be asked, privacy, how the information will be used etc.

2004 - 10,000 families participated in the study, report on what we found, how the data will be used, what happens next, etc

2005 - information about the release and launch of the Wave 1 data and findings from Wave 1, including facts about infants and four-five year old children.

And thank you for continuing to be part of this very important study. Only through your continued support can we obtain the best possible information for the benefit of all children.