Research report no.8 2002
Children's health and development: new research directions for Australia
edited by Ann Sanson
Introduction: The child cannot wait by Ann Sanson
The quote from United Nations Secretary General and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan, reminds us of the critical importance of attending to the needs of children, not only for their own sakes in the here and now (as 'beings'), but also as the 'becomings' of the future.
'Tomorrow's world is already taking shape in the body and spirit of our children.' - Kofi Annan
The papers in this volume are developed from those first presented at a workshop held at the Australian Institute of Family Studies in February 2001. The purpose of that meeting was to explore the possibility of establishing a national multidisciplinary research partnership focused on the needs of Australian children. Participants at the meeting shared the common conviction that a new era of interdisciplinary, intersectoral work is needed if we are to address the research and policy issues affecting child wellbeing in this rapidly changing society.
The first two papers here make the case for why this is so: first, because the causal pathways leading to problem outcomes are complex, and no one discipline is going to be able to provide the answers about how to reverse or avoid them; and second, because many indicators of adjustment suggest that child wellbeing is declining, and that the roots of problems are often in early childhood. The third paper argues for the importance of longitudinal research as a critical element of the evidence base on child and adolescent development, and outlines some of the criteria for a longitudinal study which can effectively guide initiatives in policy and practice.
Over some years and from a wide range of research perspectives, there has been a groundswell of concern about the lack of progress, and often decline, on many indices of the health and wellbeing of children. Researchers were frustrated by their incapacity to turn this around, and recognised that one limitation was that they were working in disciplinary 'silos'. Evidence has been accumulating of the critical importance of the early years of a child's life for their later development, and for the greater efficacy of interventions early in life and early in problematic developmental pathways. At the same time, what is becoming very evident is the complexity of causal pathways to problem outcomes, involving every level of analysis from the child's biological inheritance, through their family and school environments, to the broader social, economic and political context.
All this implies that researchers from a wide range of disciplines need to work together to tackle what some have labelled the current 'developmental crises'. However, research alone cannot effect change. The need for researchers and policy makers to find better mechanisms for communicating and facilitating the translation of research into evidence-based policy was another theme at the workshop.
Hence the group of 35 key researchers in children's health and development met at the Australian Institute of Family Studies on 22-24 February 2001. The meeting was organised by a steering committee comprising Professor Graham Vimpani (University of Newcastle), Professor Fiona Stanley (Institute for Child Health Research in Perth), Professor George Patton (Centre for Adolescent Health, Melbourne), Professor Brian Oldenburg (School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology), Dr Wayne Smith (National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Canberra), and myself (Ann Sanson of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne).
As an institution with a keen interest in promoting the welfare of children in their family and community contexts, the Australian Institute of Family Studies hosted the meeting.
The expertise of those attending the meeting reflected the multitude of interacting factors impacting on children's wellbeing and development, ranging from the biological to the socio-cultural. Participants included experts in antenatal development, infant development, parenting, child care, education, children with disabilities, and adolescent development, as well as research methodology, biostatistics, epidemiology, and social policy research. A number of the key institutions around Australia with an interest in children were represented (see Sanson 2001 in Family Matters no. 58, pp. 68-69). This rich mix ensured that discussion was lively and stimulating.
Themes
The first paper, 'New causal pathways thinking for public health' by Fiona Stanley, Ann Sanson and Tony McMichael, argues for why interdisciplinary research is now so crucial. We know that the complex intersecting influences on children's development fall into the province of medical researchers, psychologists, educators, sociologists, economists and others, and input from all is needed if we are to understand truly the causal pathways to good and poor developmental outcomes.
The second paper is 'The relevance of child and adolescent development for outcomes in education, health and life success' by Graham Vimpani, George Patton and Alan Hayes. It makes the case for the importance of experiences and environments in the early years for outcomes across the lifespan, and for the effectiveness of early intervention. It also isolates some directions for future Australian research.
These papers set the scene for why a partnership was needed. Over the course of the three-day meeting, the consensus grew that a partnership could have a critical role in facilitating a new era in research in human development, and that researchers could indeed work together effectively. It was decided that Professor Fiona Stanley should be the interim Chair of the partnership for the next 12 months, with the committee which organised the workshop continuing as the interim partnership steering committee.
One immediate possible role for such a partnership was to facilitate a collaboration of researchers to bid for the contract to plan and implement the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The Federal Government's announcement of funding for this major new study, as part of its Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, provided a further catalyst for researchers to get together and discuss ways of working together more effectively. The research community had been calling for such a study for some time, and LSAC represented the most substantial commitment ever by an Australian government to research aimed at building the evidence base for a broad gamut of child-related policy and practice. Researchers from many fields wanted to ensure that the opportunity was not squandered.
The third paper at the workshop and in this volume, 'Longitudinal studies of children and youth: Implications for future studies' by Jan Nicholson, Ann Sanson, Lynn Rempel, Diana Smart and George Patton, helps to frame the role of the proposed new study by summarising existing longitudinal research on children in Australia and overseas. It identifies the strengths and limitations of various longitudinal designs, the contributions made by existing studies, and opportunities for new ones.
At the workshop there was a strong feeling that LSAC offered a unique opportunity for ground-breaking research which could guide policy on children and families in the immediate and longer term, and that its impact would be far greater if researchers covering a range of disciplines, perspectives and geographical areas collaborated on the project, rather than competing with each other. It was agreed that a consortium headed by the Australian Institute of Family Studies and including eight other member institutions of the partnership should develop and submit an Expression of Interest in conducting the study.
Developments 2001-2002
Between the time of the February 2001 meeting at which these papers were first presented and the publication of this volume in June 2002, events have proceeded apace.
Australian Research Alliance on Children and Youth
A great deal of energy and activity has surrounded the concept of the proposed research partnership. A name has now been chosen for the partnership - it is to be known as the Australian Research Alliance on Children and Youth.
Presentations have been made to a large number of audiences including the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC), peak research organisations and philanthropic bodies. For example, presentations to the Ian Potter Foundation, Baker Foundation, the Western Australian Lotteries Commission, and the Western Australian Government have raised seed funding to enable the establishment activities of the new entity. In May 2002, the Government Taskforce for Early Childhood Development and Wellbeing, set up in response to the PMSEIC presentation, committed Commonwealth funding to assist the Alliance build an inclusive network and develop a national research agenda. Numerous discussions have been held with policy makers and service providers across Australia, and considerable coverage has been given in the media. Almost without exception, wherever the idea has been mooted, it has been greeted with great enthusiasm.
The interim steering committee has grown and now includes those with expertise in policy making and service delivery (see Table A). Philanthropic trusts have provided generous seed funding. A second meeting, with a much larger and broader group of participants than attended the original workshop at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, was held in Brisbane in November 2001.
At the time of going to print, a constitution is being finalised which will establish the Alliance as an incorporated company with a Board, specialist Board subcommittees as required, a Governing Council, and two Advisory Councils, including a Scientific Research Committee. The Alliance promises to be an important force in ensuring that the research community contributes as effectively as possible to addressing the needs of Australia's children now and in the future.
Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
There has also been a great deal of activity and progress as far as the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children is concerned. The LSAC Consortium of nine member institutions of the partnership (see Table B), established at the February 2001 meeting, developed an Expression of Interest in conducting the study. This process was led by a working group comprising Ann Sanson, Judy Ungerer, Jan Nicholson and Steve Zubrick. The consortium was subsequently invited to submit a proposal.
The process of developing this proposal did much to cement the working relationships among consortium members. The writing of the proposal was led by the same working group but with active contribution from all members. The proposal named the Australian Institute of Family Studies as the lead organisation in the consortium, and the Institute's Ann Sanson was nominated as the Project Director who would be the direct point of contact with the Government's Department of Family and Community Services.
In September 2001 the consortium was notified that it was the successful tenderer. The contract between Department and the Institute has been signed, and the study launched by Ministers Amanda Vanstone and Larry Anthony at a ceremony in Canberra in March 2002. Work is proceeding on refining the study design and developing the data collection instruments. It is anticipated that the first wave of data collection will take place in 2003.
Through maintaining a close partnership with government and a continuing process of consultation with stakeholders across the policy, practice and research communities, the LSAC Consortium will ensure that the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children addresses the critical policy-relevant questions regarding children's development, health and wellbeing. The interdisciplinary nature of the consortium is already proving to be a rich resource in ensuring that the study will be at the cutting edge in its conceptualisation and methodology.
While all members of the consortium are also members of the Alliance, the scientific expertise and advocacy role of the Alliance will also be exploited through its membership on an LSAC Scientific and Policy Advisory Group. It is anticipated that the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children will become a vital evidence base for child-related policy well into the future, and will provide a model for future Alliance research collaborations.
Children - today and in the future
It is hoped that this volume will help to document the importance of creating interdisciplinary partnerships to address the complex issues surrounding the development and wellbeing of children in Australia today and into the future. The urgency of this task is illustrated in the words of Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral.
'Many things we need can wait, the child cannot. Now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, his mind is being developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today.' - Gabriela Mistral