The evidence summary begins by considering the importance of place. This leads to a discussion of why different approaches to services and service delivery are required, including a brief description of recent changes in the conditions in which families are raising young children and the complex social problems we face. Consideration is given to defining place-based approaches and their evolution in Australia, citing examples from the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada and Australia.

Key features and dimensions of place-based approaches explores the key features of place-based approaches in more depth and examines how the various Australian initiatives incorporate them into their models. The evidence of efficacy for place- based approaches is then reviewed, focusing on building community and interagency partnerships and place-based action planning and intervention.

What evidence is missing? focuses on gaps in our knowledge and what we still need to learn about establishing collaborative partnerships and successfully implementing place-based interventions. The final section wraps up what we know about the key elements of place-based approaches.

The evidence summary concludes that we are still at a relatively early stage of implementing place-based initiatives, and argues that none of the current Australian initiatives have incorporated all the key features.

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This publication has been developed by the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and The Royal Children’s Hospital as part of the Collaborate for children: scoping project funded by the Australian Government Department of Education. It summarises the evidence on what we know and are still yet to learn about place-based approaches to improve children’s outcomes.

Over 12 months, the project investigated the Australian place-based landscape to understand how we can better promote children’s wellbeing through place-based initiatives. This publication is one of four key reports produced through the project. The reports are:

• The evidence: what we know about place-based approaches to support children’s wellbeing
• A snapshot of place-based activity promoting children’s wellbeing – who is driving, doing and supporting place-based initiatives
• Big thinking on place: getting place-based approaches moving
• The state of play in Australian place-based activity for children – a summary of project findings with recommendations for accelerating place-based efforts.