Released today, a new report from the Centre for Policy Development shows that despite a recent national focus on early years reforms, Australia’s child and family health service system has received comparatively little attention, and families are falling through the cracks.
Released today, Healthy Starts: The state of Australia’s child and family health service system maps the experiences of families accessing the network of health and development services available from pregnancy through to age five.
From GPs and maternity services to early development monitoring, these services are essential for assessing and supporting the health, wellbeing, and development of children, parents, and caregivers. They play a vital role in identifying needs early and providing preventative support before challenges escalate.
While there are areas where the system is working well, the report finds that support for families is fragmented and inconsistent, with accessibility varying wildly based on where a family lives and what they can afford.
A lack of services and widespread workforce shortages mean families in regional, remote, or outer-metro areas face the greatest barriers, and are twice as likely to miss out on developmental health checks.
Low levels of public awareness and poor coordination between services also significantly impact access, with 44.1% of parents with children under five missing child health appointments because services are unknown, inaccessible, or the need isn’t clear.
The report recommends increased investment and reforms focused on making services more available, improving family engagement, boosting coordination between services, and creating national consistency across states and territories.
Centre for Policy Development CEO Andrew Hudson said that delivering on the promises of reforms to Australia’s early childhood development system meant a much greater focus on child and family health was needed.
“We know that a child’s early years lay the groundwork for their entire life.”
“From increases to paid parental leave entitlements, a commitment to universal early childhood education and care, and national collaboration through Thriving Kids, there is significant momentum around improving how governments support children and young families.
“Building on these reforms means looking at every area that supports children and families to thrive, including health services.
“At a time when 22% of children are starting school developmentally vulnerable, it is critical we look at ways we can improve the system to ensure that every family gets the right support at the right time, that services are able to identify and address developmental concerns early, and that children are set up for lifelong success.
“While parents and families play the central role in a child’s development, governments have a responsibility to ensure that our child and family health service system is properly resourced, integrated, and accessible.
“This is an opportunity to invest in the future of our nation, and one we cannot afford to miss.”
