A forum brought together the community services sector to push for real change in the childhood developmental vulnerability and poverty space. Photo: Child First Forum report.
The number of developmentally vulnerable children in Canberra has risen as a new movement is pushing both the ACT and Federal governments to do more around enforcing action and being accountable for what’s going wrong.
The 2024 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) has been released, showing 28.1 per cent of Canberra’s children were developmentally vulnerable on one domain (up from 26.7 per cent), and 14.9 per cent on two or more (up from 13.3 per cent).
This made the ACT the second worst performing jurisdiction in the country, behind the Northern Territory.
The domains of child development measured are: physical health and wellbeing; social competence; emotional maturity; school-based language and cognitive skills; and communication skills and general knowledge.
Developmental vulnerability in the ACT increased across four of the five measures, with the largest rise in the communication skills and general knowledge domain.
Families ACT executive director Rebecca Zappelli isn’t surprised by the latest results.
“It is well known that rates of childhood vulnerability in the ACT have been increasing since 2015,” she said.
“Since this time, we haven’t addressed the structural reforms needed in Canberra and the region, and that have proven to be successful in other Australian jurisdictions and in New Zealand.”
“Only 43.8 per cent of children in the ACT are now on track on all five domains, well below 52.9 per cent nationally.”
The inaugural Child First Forum brought together attendees from 38 organisations to try and find ideas, solutions and opportunities to address childhood vulnerability and poverty in the ACT.
Funding was highlighted as a major issue:
- Sector funding doesn’t match the scale or complexity of need experienced by children, youth and families in the ACT
- Funding provided is often short-term, unstable and compliance-heavy, preventing long-term planning
- Capital investment is limited, restricting service delivery and innovation
- Lack of federal investment into the ACT creating gaps in resourcing.
The growing and complex demand on services is also a concern, as more people are experiencing cost-of-living pressures and housing unaffordability. Entrenched poverty, domestic and family violence, mental health issues and alcohol and other drug use were reported to be compounding this issue.
The forum noted an overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, “who are often supported by a system that is not culturally safe, nor able to provide tailored support”.
Staff burnout, exhaustion, high turnover rates, issues of recruitment and retention, a shortage of skilled staff and volunteers, fragmented systems and poor coordination between the sector and government, equality and inclusion challenges, knowledge gaps, and an overall disconnect between government and the community sector were also issues identified.
The ACT recorded worsening results across the five development categories. Photo: Australian Early Development Census 2024.
The forum identified five key enablers of change: establishing data sharing agreements, establishing a core group to drive the movement and build genuine collaboration across all sectors.
The other two areas – budget and resources, and ministerial and legislation – would take more lobbying.
“A clear policy direction must be matched by sustained investment, targeted early years funding and support for a skilled workforce. Government must allocate time and resources that reflect real demand,” the forum report noted.
“Ministerial support and strong political buy-in are essential to sustain reform momentum. Legislation must go beyond enabling change – it must enforce action and drive real accountability.”
Ms Zappelli especially called on the ACT Government to review and strength its early years strategy, Best Start for Canberra’s Children: The First 1000 Days.
“The Best Start strategy is falling short and, as it is hard to significantly affect change in childhood vulnerability after five years, we need a cross-portfolio approach led by the Chief Minister that addresses entrenched drivers and promotes protective factors of childhood vulnerability,” she said.
“This means all children and families having access to material basics – affordable food, housing and healthcare – as well as quality early education.
“By putting children first it’s possible to foster intergenerational wellbeing and support families to thrive.”
An ACT Government spokesperson said the AEDC showed a “concerning national trend”.
“A higher proportion of Australian children are starting school developmentally vulnerable. In the ACT, a higher percentage of children started school developmentally vulnerable in 2024 than ever before,” they said.
“These results are deeply concerning and are a call for further action. They highlight the need for early identification and a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to early childhood development.”
The government will be analysing the ACT-specific data and engaging with local stakeholders, educators, health professionals, and families to understand what’s driving the trends and come up with solutions.
Investment in the space includes more than $50 million over four years to the three-year-old preschool program, $7.2 million to expand the Child Development Service for children aged 24 to 36 months to give families access to free speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and autism assessments, and piloting a new three-year-old developmental check in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, including Koori preschools, to identify developmental concerns earlier and connect families to support.
