This policy brief argues for a stronger focus on responding to multicultural children with research, policy and practice not keeping pace with Australia’s increasing ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. Multicultural children are less likely to access early childhood education and this paper makes the case for a mix of targeted and place-based interventions. It provides...

This report examines the financial sustainability of not-for-profit organisations delivering social services to vulnerable Australians. It highlights staffing issues, service contraction and negative flow-on effects for government. The report recommends Australian governments respond with an evidence-informed contracting process, indexation of funding, an impact-based response to social and economic shifts, and data asset development to enhance...

This position paper seeks to highlight the extent of the harm caused by current ad hoc police first responses, and explore the urgent need for, and effectiveness of, better responses in the future. The paper highlights research showing the potential of alternative first responders to the police, such as community-based models.

This paper analyses the current constitutional and operational framework for a new classification of public expenditure. The aim is to identify expenditure and encourage the ‘shift to prevention’. It considers three expenditure areas in the United Kingdom: health, homelessness and children’s social care. By differentiating between everyday spending and preventative spending, the government could measure...

Organised around nine building blocks, this Toolkit helps policymakers to design and implement strategies to combat homelessness. It provides guidance in policy design, in how to engage stakeholders, strengthen the evidence base and embed systematic monitoring and evaluation into homelessness policymaking.