The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 every child every chance This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 every child every chance This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) Published by the Victorian Government Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. October 2006 © Copyright State of Victoria, Department of Human Services, 2006. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Also published on www.dhs.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Hon Sherryl Garbutt, Minister for Children and Minister for Community Services, 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Printed on sustainable paper by Impact Printing, 69-79 Fallon Street, Brunswick. (0171206) This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 1 Ministerial foreword The Victorian Government is commited to giving children the best start in life and has made a real and continuing commitment to improving the wellbeing of children across the state. This commitment is reflected in the independent review of the Premier’s Children Advisory Committee, in the appointment of a Minister for Children and an Office for Children, and in the introduction of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 and the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005. The commitment is centrally reflected also in the production of this report on the wellbeing of Victoria’s children. This is the first in a series of annual reports on Victoria’s children and its publication represents an important milestone in the use of evidence to support and drive government planning and programs. The State of Victoria’s Children tells us how Victoria’s children (aged zero-18) are faring based on the most-up-to date evidence of what matters in the lives of children and young people. This evidence has been used to create an Outcomes Framework of 35 key aspects of children’s development. The report offers a high-level, yet comprehensive overview of the health, development, learning, safety and wellbeing of Victoria’s children, focusing on outcomes for children and young people as a whole and on outcomes for children from four priority populations: Indigenous children, children with a disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and children affected by chronic disadvantage. Comparative data on outcomes for children living in metropolitan and rural areas are also included. In general, the report tells a good news story about how Victoria’s children are faring. It shows that young Victorians are doing very well against a broad range of measures of health and wellbeing, safety, development and learning. Significant progress is being made towards the ‘Growing Victoria Together’ goals of high quality education and training for lifelong learning, high quality accessible health and community services and building friendly, confident and safe communities. This news is welcome and encouraging for all those who are committed to promoting and ensuring the wellbeing of children in Victoria. On the other hand, the report alerts us, too, to some newly emerging health concerns affecting children and young people, such as obesity, eating disorders and mental ill health. It shows that not all children in Victoria are faring as well as broad statewide data suggest. The evidence shows there are inequalities in outcome for different groups of children, and clearly points to a need for policies to tackle these. The comprehensive data that the report presents will allow the government to adapt and sharpen its focus on these areas of concern and on those children and families who are faring less well. With its focus on the outcomes that matter, the report will also provide an important resource for others, outside government, who are working to improve the life outcomes of children and young people. Hon Sherryl Garbutt Minister for Children and Minister for Community Services This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 2 The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 3 Acknowledgements This report draws on a wide range of data from a variety of sources, including data held in the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education and Training, the Department for Victorian Communities, the Department of Justice, Victoria Police and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. We are grateful to all who provided this information. We are also grateful to the following senior academics who contributed up-to-date data on their area of expertise for use in the report: • Professor Jill Astbury from Victoria University • Associate Professor Chris Chamberlain from RMIT University • Professor Judith Lumley from La Trobe University • Professor George Patton from the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute • Professor Susan Sawyer from the Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne • Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University • Associate Professor Melissa Wake from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute • Professor Elizabeth Waters from Deakin University. This report was prepared, under the direction of Michael White, in the Statewide Outcomes for Children Branch of the Office for Children, in the Victorian Government Department of Human Services. The report was written by Dr Suzanne Hood, as principal author, with the support of Dr. Sharon Goldfeld, Pam Muth, Joyce Cleary, Atika Farooqui and Linda Hayes. In introducing the Outcomes Framework the report draws on an unpublished paper by Don Siemon: ‘Putting Children First: the Outcomes that matter’. Ginnette Anile assisted with the production of Figures to be included in the report. We owe a special thanks too, to Kerryn O'Rourke, who gathered data for the report while on placement with the Statewide Outcomes for Children Branch. This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 4 The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 Contents Introduction 7 Every child every chance 7 The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 10 1. Victoria’s children 19 1.1 Victoria’s population 19 1.2 Victoria’s child population 20 1.3 Projected changes in Victoria’s population 22 1.4 Diversity in Victoria’s population 24 1.5 Family characteristics 29 2. The child 31 2.1 Health and wellbeing 31 Health in the early years 32 Staying healthy 35 Healthy lifestyles 46 Mental health 53 2.2 Development and learning 57 Childhood development 57 School-based learning 59 Teenage development and behaviour 68 Young people and crime 69 2.3 Safety 76 Safe from injuries, harm and violence 76 Safe from environmental toxins and from fear of crime 90 3. The environment 95 3.1. The family 95 Poverty and economic wellbeing 95 Housing and homelessness 101 Parental and family lifestyles and health-promoting behaviour 105 3.2 The community 113 Community networks and supports 113 Accessible local recreation spaces, activities and community facilities 115 3.3 Services and supports 117 Quality antenatal care 117 Early identification of and attention to child health needs 118 High quality early education and care experiences available 120 This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 5 4. Principal findings 123 4.1 Overview 123 4.2 How are Victorian children and young people faring? 123 4.3 Outcomes for children in the four priority groups 125 4.4 Outcomes for children in rural and metropolitan areas 128 4.5 Discussion and conclusions 128 Appendices 129 References 140 This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) 6 The state of Victoria’s children report 2006 This document is managed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria (as of 27 August 2007) Introduction 7 Introduction Every child every chance The Victorian Government has recognised that children are in every sense our future. Already the government has introduced a number of initiatives that signal a real and continuing commitment to children in this state. In Growing Victoria Together the Victorian Government committed to improving the wellbeing of children and every child every chance is a response to that with far-reaching implications. Internationally there is growing awareness that effective support for children and young people is vital for stability and prosperity in a rapidly changing social, educational and economic environment. It is also clearly demonstrated that appropriate support for children and families in the early years can pay considerable dividends for all communities. Victoria has a long history of solid support for children and families, with a strong foundation of universal and specialist services. The challenge now is to ensure the results for all children are positive, relevant and timely. Indicative of the importance of this endeavour, the Premier of Victoria, the Honourable Steve Bracks, has taken personal leadership. A thorough independent review through the Premier’s Children’s Advisory Committee, the announcement of a minister with responsibility for children and an Office for Children, and the release of the Growing Victoria Together and A Fairer Victoria policy documents have all set the foundation for a reappraisal of the entire system. As a result of these initiatives, the Victorian Government has developed and adopted a vision and a way forward for the future of Victoria’s children.