The early years provide a critical foundation for lifelong health, development and wellbeing, yet currently more than one in five Australian children begin school developmentally vulnerable. In some communities this extends to one in two – or every second child – placing them at greater risk of poorer social, emotional and economic wellbeing throughout their lives.

This Policy Brief outlines a different approach for addressing the complex nature of childhood vulnerability in communities experiencing high levels of disadvantage – a place-based collective impact approach.

Place-based collective impact integrates the knowledge and lessons gained from Australia’s long history of place-based approaches with the strengths of collective impact.

Its focus on citizen engagement, and devolved, cooperative decision-making represents a fundamental shift in the distribution of power and authority away from government and service providers.

This edition explores:

• The Australian practice and research on place-based collective impact initiatives including the seven principles which determine their effectiveness. 
   
• The implications of the research including the need for testing and adaptation as our understanding of the place-based collective impact approach evolves.
   
• Considerations for policy and practice including the potential benefits for government, communities and service providers.