Citation:
Gregory, T., Kinnell, A., Harman-Smith, Y., Waugh, J. & Brinkman, S. (2016). Exploring local government areas with significant shifts in child development between 2009 and 2012 on the Australian Early Development Census. Telethon Kids Institute. Adelaide.
Abstract:
The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC: formerly the Australian Early Development Index) provides communities with vital information about the health, wellbeing and development of children in their community. The AEDC is a valuable tool for governments and communities, and allows them to understand what’s happening in their community. No other data collection in Australia collects this type of data, for this many children, at this point in their development, making it invaluable and essential.
AEDC data can help with community planning, including the mobilisation and targeting of resources to specific areas. In conjunction with schools, local health services and other community resources, communities have the opportunity to support children precisely where needed to facilitate their learning, physical, social and emotional development.
This project analysed AEDC results across Australia, to identify communities with significant improvement (decreases in developmental vulnerability) between 2009 and 2012. Significance was measured using the critical difference measure (1) which provides a guideline about ‘how big’ a difference in the AEDC results between 2009 and 2012 is required to be considered statistically significant, given the numbers of children in the community.
After ruling out changes in socio-economic and demographic characteristics within the communities and differences in school participation between the two AEDC data collections, 35 communities were identified in which substantial improvements in the AEDC between 2009 and 2012. From each state and territory, we selected the two communities with the biggest improvements between 2009 and 2012 to examine changes that may have contributed to the observed improvement. Desktop analyses attempted to identify the services available for young children and their families in the communities and any new services or service changes that may have affected the development of the 2012 AEDC cohort but not the 2009 AEDC cohort.
When examining what changed for the children born in 2003/2004 and 2006/2007 in the 14 communities that were selected for desktop analysis, we found a diversity that matched the diversity of the communities. The analyses presented in this report demonstrate that there is no single answer to improving outcomes for children at a community level. Instead, responses will need to be varied to match the varied contexts, challenges and resources within communities. It is safe to say that creating and sustaining shifts in the AEDC across all communities will require policy level changes by federal, state and territory governments, for the whole population, that are delivered with a scale and intensity that addresses the diverse needs of children and families around the country.
As communities become more familiar with the AEDC and better equipped with knowledge and tools to improve the early environments of children, we would hope to see more widespread localised improvements. However, community led initiatives need to be combined with systemic policy level changes that extend the reach of services, supports and good information to families in their children’s earliest years, to achieve see widespread improvements for children across all Australian communities.