Opportunities for play must be nurtured if children are to develop physically, emotionally and socially. While playground designs have recently become more complex, they do so against a background of increased community expectations of safer environments. Fortunately, research has shown that a substantial number of accidents can be prevented and the severity of injuries reduced...

Little evidence has been produced on the influence of housing on children’s development in Australia. This study, relying on LSAC 2004 and 2008 data, begins to fill this gap by examining the association between residential mobility, unstable housing tenure and housing stress on children’s cognitive development and social-emotional functioning. Previous research indicates that parental relationship...

While most families of young children are well supported socially and make good use of services, some do not. Children from families that have poor social supports and that make limited or no use of early child and family services are at increased risk of poor health and developmental outcomes. Research confirms what many professionals...

An independent evaluation of the Paid Parental Leave scheme was completed over four phases between 2010 and 2014. Findings informed the Government about the outcomes of the scheme and they assessed the scheme’s likelihood of achieving its longer-term objectives.

A child's social and emotional wellbeing is integral to their overall health, development and wellbeing. Children with high levels of social and emotional wellbeing are more likely to successfully negotiate physical, intellectual and social challenges during childhood and adolescence. This report describes the process of developing a Children's Headline Indicator to measure social and emotional...