AIFS staff presentation

Canberra, ACT, 24 November 2011
Australia's welfare 2011 conference

Two speed childhoods? From sketching the problem to scoping solutions

Professor Alan Hayes
Director, Australian Institute of Family Studies

View presentation slides (PDF 2.5 MB)

Slide outline

  1. Two speed childhoods? From sketching the problem to scoping solutions
    • Presented by Professor Alan Hayes Director
    • Australian Institute of Family Studies
    • on 24 November 2011 at
    • Australia's welfare 2011 conference
    • National Convention Centre, Canberra 24 November 2011
  2. Acknowledgements
    • This presentation has been greatly enriched by the work of
      • Ms Ruth Weston
      • Ms Lixia Qu
      • Dr Ben Edwards
      • Ms Kelly Hand
      • Dr Rae Kaspiew
      • Professor Lawrie Moloney
      • Professor Matthew Gray
      • Dr Gerry Redmond
      • Mr Mark Sipthorp
      • Ms Lauren DiSalvia
      • Ms Nancy Virgona
      • Dr James Boorman and
      • June, Tammi, Katelyn, and the family, for allowing us into their lives
  3. Acknowledgements
    • This research has been funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). This paper uses unit record data from
      • Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The study is conducted in partnership between the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
      • Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey conducted by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (MIAESR)
    • The findings and views reported in this paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to FaHCSIA, AIFS, the ABS or the MIAESR.
  4. Life Around Here
    • June, Tammy and Katelyn
  5. Life events change families, and haveimpacts on their form and functioning that can span lives and cross generations
  6. The accident of birth is powerful
  7. Income poverty among families with children – SIHC data
    • graph of Trends in poverty among families with children, Australia 1982 to 2007-08 (per cent)
    • Source: Survey of Incomes and Housing Costs (Redmond, 2011)
  8. Investment in Elderly and Children OECD data
    • graph of Trends in per capita social expenditure (excluding health and education) on elderly and families, Australia
    • Source: OECD Social Expenditure Database (Redmond, 2011)
  9. Investment in public education
    • graph of Enrolment in public education, 1993-2010 (per cent all enrolments)
    • (Redmond, 2011)
  10. Resilience and vulnerability
    • Resilience and vulnerability show their effects both early in life as well as across the life course, and reflect social gradients and developmental change
  11. - 15. Outcomes for infants to 8–9 year-olds
    • graph of Parental socio-economic position (deciles)
    • Source: LSAC, Waves 1, 2 & 3
  1. Neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s development
    • International studies suggest neighbourhood SES isassociated with:
      • Social and emotional development
      • Cognition and learning
      • Antisocial behaviour and chances of becoming a teenage parent
    • Very little is known about neighbourhood disadvantagein regional areas
  2. Links between financial disadvantage and children’s cognitive school readiness
    • graph of Percentage of children with poor language skills at 4–5 years
  3. Risk burden of disadvantaged familiesand other families
    • graph of Number of family and neighbourhood risk factors present
  4. Impact of disadvantaged neighbourhoods on4–5 year-olds’ social and emotional outcomes
    • graph Source: LSAC, Wave 1
  5. From evidence to action: An example
    • Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (2000–2009)
      • The longitudinal evaluation of Communities for Children
  6. The Communities for Children model
    • Flowchart
      • Facilitating Partners
      • Communities for Children Committee
      • Develop plans and manage funds
      • Community Partners deliver services
    • Logic = provide new services + increased service coordination and cooperation = improved outcomes
  7. Outcomes for the disadvantaged groups
      • Reduction in jobless families
      • Reduction in harsh parenting
    • But
      • Increase in reported parental and child health problems
  8. Policy adjustment in response to evidence
    • Re-funding of existing Communities for Children program
    • Communities for Children Plus established with a focus on areas with high child protection concern
  9. Child protection statistics 2009–10
    • Protecting Australia’s children requires national action
      • 187,314 reports to statutory child protection services were made nationally
      • 31,295 substantiated
      • Neglect and emotional abuse (including witnessing DV) most commonly substantiated
      • 35,895 children in out-of-home care at 30 June 2010
        • 11,468 were Indigenous
        • AIHW, 2011
  10. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children over-represented in:
      • child protection (6 x more likely to be substantiated)
      • out of home care (9 x more likely to be in care)
    • Sexual assault is a significant, but under-reported, problem
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 35 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence-related assaults
    • Bromfield & Berlyn, 2008; Keel, 2004
  11. Impacts of child abuse and neglect inchildhood and adolescence
    • Attachment and social interaction problems
    • Physical health problems
    • Learning & developmental problems
    • Behavioural problems
    • Trauma & psychological problems
    • Mental Health problems
    • Youth suicide
    • Eating disorders
    • Drug and alcohol abuse
    • Aggression, violence and criminal behaviour
    • Teenage pregnancy
    • Homelessness
    • Death (fatal abuse)
    • Lamont, A. (2010). Effects of child abuse and neglect: Consequences in childhood and adolescence. NCPC Resource Sheet. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
  12. Abuse, neglect and detention
    • 30-40% of those in detention or under supervision had experienced physical abuse
    • 11-14% had experienced sexual assault
    • One third to half had suffered neglect
    • (AIHW, 2009)
  13. Parental problems
    • Substance misuse
    • Domestic violence
    • Mental illness
    • Histories of abuse and neglect
    • Allen Consulting Group, 2003; Wood, 2008, Leek et al., 2004
  14. Policy agendas intersect in child protection
    • Social inclusion agenda
    • Public health approach
    • Children’s rights
  15. “From a human rights perspective, all children have the right to experience the conditions for optimal health, growth and development, and society has an obligation to ensure that parents have the necessary resources to raise children”. Jordan & Sketchley (2009)
  16. Overcoming the “two worlds” of childhood…
    • Risk is not destiny
    • Vulnerability is not unchangeable
    • Protection is no guarantee
    • Resilience is built on personal and social foundations that can be significantly strengthened through public policy
    • Building resilience involves enhancing individual, family and community strengths
  17. The place of education
    • High quality education, in early life, and beyond, is one of the most powerful engines of opportunity
  18. Investment of resources
    • In early life
      • to prevent neurological damage, cognitive deficits and social-emotional disturbances
    • In middle childhood and adolescence
      • to promote prosocial behaviour and positive, adaptive attitudes and aspirations
    • In early adulthood
      • to prepare for relationship stability, positive parenting and family wellbeing
    • And across the lifespan
  19. The right mix
    • Universal supports are vital to promote population development, health and wellbeing (at personal, economic and societal levels)
    • Targeted initiatives are unavoidable to break cycles of disadvantage, disturbance and dysfunction
  20. Life Around Here
    • Hopes Tammy and Katelyn
  21. Moving beyond the two worldsrequires …
    • The personal, financial and social resources to contribute meaningfully to society
    • Safe, supportive and caring relationships that nurture children’s development, health and wellbeing
    • The social, emotional and economic capital to access opportunity, transcend disadvantage and achieve mobility
    • Access to community-based, family-focused, socially inclusive supports that assist families to develop the resilience required to “bounce back”
  22. Thank you
  23. 12th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference
    • 25-27 July 2012 Melbourne Convention Centre
    • www.aifs.gov.au

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