Children and Families

Families, neighbourhoods and communities are the cornerstone of safety and support for children so that they can reach their potential.

Learning and development in the early years of a child’s life has lasting impacts throughout the life course. Stronger Starts Brighter Futures research examines the early development trajectories of children from CALD backgrounds in Australia by exploring the existing evidence base and analysing data from the Australian Early Development Census, conducted every three years. The analyses include national data along with a breakdown for each of the three most culturally diverse jurisdictions: New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Both phases of Stronger Starts Brighter Futures research in 2024 and 2021 found that children from CALD backgrounds are more likely to be developmentally vulnerable at school entry than other children and much less likely to attend most types of early childhood education (e.g. preschool). In addition, the 2024 report highlights the impacts of socio-economic background and English language proficiency on the developmental trajectories of children from CALD backgrounds.

SSI has also contributed to research led by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice exploring the safety, wellbeing, cultural and family connections of children from CALD backgrounds in out-of-home care (OOHC).  The report is a collection of chapters exploring these issues, drawing in part on an analysis of data for children from CALD backgrounds in the NSW Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study.

This research builds on an earlier smaller study in 2017 conducted in partnership with Macquarie University looking at cultural matching in OOHC.