Agenda for Children Andyoung People

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN ANDYOUNG PEOPLE

Consultation Paper

Community Development Unit

Department of Premier and Cabinet

Level 8, 144 Macquarie Street

GPO Box 123, Hobart TAS 7001

ISBN 978 0 7246 5551 4

Date of publication: October 2010

©State of Tasmania 2010

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

Contents

How to Have Your Say 4

Message from the Minister 5

A New Way of Working 6

Introduction 6

Continuing the Momentum for Change 7

Why Do We Need Further Investment? 9

A Framework for Change12

New Ways of Working13

Putting Changes in Place15

Agenda for Children and Young People 16

Ensuring the Best Possible Start In Life18

Start Healthy Stay Healthy22

Staying Engaged and Connected25

Promoting Positive Child Behaviour and Mental Health28

Positive Pathways to Adulthood31

Supporting Vulnerable Children and Young People34

Protecting Children is Everyone’s Business39

Problem Solving Justice Systems43

HOW TO HAVE YOUR SAY

We want to know your views about the issues and directions outlined in this consultation paper.

Forums will be held around the State to enable you to have your say. Contact us for details of meetings in your area.

Visit our website at and follow the link.

Alternatively tell us what you think in writing by sending your comments to the following address:

Director

Community Development Division

Department of Premier and Cabinet

GPO Box 123

HOBART TAS 7001

Or call us on 1800 734642

Comments will be received until 1February 2011

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

MESSAGE from THE MINISTER

Giving our children the best start in life, keeping them safe, strengthening their health, promoting their wellbeing and providing them with an education that assists them to move into adulthood with confidence are among our most important priorities as a community.

A lot of great work is being done across Government and non-government agencies and in the wider community to ensure that our children and young people are safe, healthy and secure, but there are areas of activity where more is needed.

The challenge for all of us is to build a society where all Tasmanian children are given a start in life that will enable them to reach their full potential.

The Agenda for Children and Young People will provide the road map for Government Services for the next ten years and beyond. It will assist in determining the sort of environment we wish our children to grow up in and will encourage us to adopt a common set of outcomes around which we can align our effort.

This purpose of this consultation paper is to confer with the whole community on that vision. The Consultation paper suggests new ways of addressing a range of critical issues facing young Tasmanians and proposes significant change in the way in which services are delivered, particularly to those who are the most vulnerable in our community.

I encourage you to respond to this paper and have a say in the Agenda for Children and Young People.

The Hon Lin Thorp MLC
Minister for Children

A New Way of Working

Introduction

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

There can be no greater task for our community than nurturing, educating and protecting Tasmanian children and young people. They are our future parents and workers and those who will have the responsibility for leading our State.

The Tasmanian Government has identified the development of improved policies and service delivery arrangements for children, young people and their families as a high priority.

To assist in this work the Minister for Children has committed to establishing an Agenda for Children and Young People which will set out key directions for the coming decade.

This consultation paper has been prepared as a basis for engaging in a community wide discussion around this Agenda.

You are invited to respond and have your say.

Section 1 of this paper outlines the principles we propose should underpin the development of a new Agenda for Children and Young People. It identifies an overarching set of strategic policy objectives for children and young people to support fresh approaches.

Section 2 identifies areas of policy focus and suggests important directions toward establishing a comprehensive work program to address issues facing young Tasmania.

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

Continuing the Momentum for Change

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

We understand now more than ever that addressing the needs of our children,young people and their familiesis important for the Tasmanian community into the future.

Core to this belief is a view that if young Tasmanians are given the best possible start in life they will be positioned to reach their full potential and lead productive and healthy lives.

Together individuals, families, communities, governments and service providers share responsibility for the wellbeing of our youth.

Giving children and young people a sound foundation relies on working together around a shared vision of what we want for our children and young people and how we wish to achieve it.

At all levels of our community and in policy and service delivery arrangements there needs to be an explicit and active commitment towards achieving the best outcomes for young Tasmanians.

Much is being done to address the needs of children in their early years and to support parents in their most important role:

New Child and Family Centresare being established which will provide a range of easily accessible services that support families with the health, wellbeing, care and education of children from birth to age five
Four new Gateway Services have been established in regions across Tasmania to provide a one stop shop for families needing help and support. This is supported by an intensive Family Support Service to intervene early in vulnerable families
An Early Years Parenting Support Service was established in January2010 to assist parents with children 0-5 years, including unborn children
Launching into Learning is providing support for 115 schools to take on a greater role in engaging and forming relationships with families before children come to school
The Tasmania’s Early Years Foundation has been established to support and promote the wellbeing, development and learning of Tasmanian children up to the age of six years

Actions outlined in this paper aim to build on the work we are doing for children in their early years and identify new directions for children and young people through to 18 years of age.

The paper focuses on addressing the pressing needs of all children and young people across the areas of health, education and youth justice and providing families with the help they need to parent effectively.

Particular attention is paid to putting in place new approaches to children and young people who are at risk.

Actions are set within a framework which promotes social inclusion and addresses the key determinants of change.

Health and wellbeing are determined by a broad number of factors, including conditions of daily living which can impact on the chances of young Tasmanians and their families achieving good outcomes. These include an adequate income, secure housing, level of education and the existence of secure social and community networks.

Addressing the fundamental determinants of poor life outcomes has the capacity to link families with the services they need, foster community initiatives, and provide a vital platform for promoting social inclusion.

These new approaches represent a fundamental shift in the way in which we think about issues within our community and how we approach the provision of support for vulnerable children and young people and their families.

They are based around the principles of social inclusion and developing approaches which put children, young people and their families at the centre of our thinking.

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

Why Do we Need Further Investment?

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

Broad consensus exists about the advantages of making sure that our children and young people are given the best start in life and that families are well supported to undertake this role.

We know that investment in the early years and in primary prevention programs can have a substantial pay off over time.

In purely monetary terms, studies have shown that for every dollar invested at an early stage a return on investment of up to $12 in savings is made, largely in reduced costs associated with crime reduction and school remedial services. [1]

The fundamental and long established link between education, literacy, health literacy (the degree to which people have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information) and the long term health and wellbeing of individuals is also well documented.[2]

Many Tasmanianchildren and young people are faring well, but there is much we need to work on.

Over the next 20 years the proportion of Tasmania’s children and young people under 15 yearsof age is projected to decline and migration patterns suggest that younger people will continue to be highly mobile and many will move around within Tasmania or leave the State.[3] However this decline will not be uniformly experienced across the community. Some areas such as Brighton, Hobart and Kingborough are projected to experience significant growth in their number of young people while other areas, such as Glenorchy, Central Coast and the West Coast will see a significant reduction.

Population changes will see a reduction in average household size with impacts on the distribution of wealth within families and the broader community. This will be accompanied by declining school enrolments and different work patterns.[4] These changes will bring both opportunities and challenges for the Tasmanian community and it is important that we are equipped to adapt.

The Kids Come First Report (2009) indicates that Tasmania’s children and young people are doing well in a number of areasin comparison to other states and to national averages.[5] These include:

low infant and child mortality rates (3.8 infant deaths per 1 000, compared to the national rate of 4.1 per 1 000 (2008))
a high percentage of babies born full term (92 per cent (2006)
high immunisation uptake rates (93per centor 1489 fully immunised at 2 years as at 30June2009)
a high percentage of Year 3 students at or above the national minimum standards for reading (93.8 per cent), writing (96.6 per cent) and numeracy (94.5 per cent) in 2010[6]
lower rates of children hospitalised for asthma than comparative jurisdictions (2.9 per 1 000 or 330 in 2006-07)
a high percentage of children with a severe disability accessing early intervention services (91 per cent during 2008)
a relatively low proportion (10.8 per cent) of Tasmanian children vulnerable on two or more domains of the Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) in 2009 compared to the national rate of 11.8 per cent

However there are areas where outcomes for Tasmanian children, young people and families give reason for concern. These include:

high rates of teenage pregnancy (28 per 1 000 or 442 in 2008 compared to 17.3 per 1 000 nationally)
high rates of mothers smoking during pregnancy (28 per cent in 2007 self reported) compared to 17 per cent nationally
high rates of mothers drinking alcohol during pregnancy (16 per cent in 2006 self reported)
low rates of exclusive breastfeeding, (48 per cent of mothers exclusively breast fed at six weeks in 2008-09)
far higher death rates from all injuries to children aged 0–14 years, 10.7 per 100 000 in 2004-06 compared to the national death rates of 6.0 per 100000
low rates of attendance at many child health checks(67 per cent at sixmonths in 2008-09)
unacceptable rates of tobacco and alcohol use (in 2008, 9 per cent of secondary students aged 12-17 years were current smokers and 21 per cent of 12-15 year oldsand 48 per cent of 16-17 year olds were current drinkers)[7]
suicide rates which are among the highest in the nation. From 1978 to 2006 youth suicides (ages 15-29) were 28 per cent of all suicides (550 out of 1987 deaths), the second highest age–standardised death rate by suicide of all jurisdictions after the Northern Territory

At the same time there is a need to address barriers to social inclusion which continue to exist for many children and young people.

While participation in vocational education and training and university education in Tasmania is increasing, there are still a high proportion of Tasmanian school leavers who do not progress to further training or employment.

In 2008, 43 per cent of all school leavers aged 15-19 were not fully engaged in further education or employment, the highest proportion of all states and territories and higher than the Australian average of 27per cent.[8] The Commonwealth Government has committed significant funding to improve attainment.

Key indicators also suggest the need to improve the welfare of young Tasmanians. The Tasmanian homeless population is significantly younger than the Australian homeless population, with 69per cent of homeless people being aged 34 years or younger in 2006. Almost one third was aged 12-18, 50percent higher than the national proportion at 21 per cent.[9]

We also have unacceptably high rates of behavioural difficulties and mental health problems. The 2009 Tasmanian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey collected information from parents and carers of
5-12 year olds about their child’s current and mental health behaviour by using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.[10] Overall 7 percent of Tasmanian children and young people aged 4-15 years had scores that were of concern (17 or above).[11]

As of July 2010, there were 60 active clients aged 5-9 years; 173 active clients aged 10-14 years;and 202 clients aged 15-19 years accessing mental health services.[12]

Addressing these risk factors will require concerted effort from all service providers in a way which supports services working together and promotes addressing issues at an early stage.

Outcomes against these indicators are not uniform across the State and in many cases available data suggests that there are some localities where children and young people are particularly disadvantaged. Effective efforts to address these issues will require a clear understanding of what is happening in local communities and targeted strategies for those areas.

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

AFramework for Change

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

The Agenda for Children and Young Peoplewill be a ten year action plan (2011-21) which puts children and young people from 0-18 years at the centre of our thinking.

The objective is to establish a shared vision for the future of services for all young Tasmanians based on a set overarching strategic policy objectives to inform new directions and promote greater alignment of effort. This in turn will:

Improve the reach of services and help to avoid duplication;
Lead to the introduction of new more consumer focussed service delivery models which enable the reconfiguration of services around the needs of children, young people and their families;
Encourage the introduction of approaches which promote local engagement and the development of local solutions where people live, work, play and grow up; and
Promote a shared responsibility for outcomes.

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

New Ways of Working

AGENDA FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE – consultation paper

Traditional service delivery structures based around single services working in isolation from each other too often fail families.

Service providers, both within and outside government, need to work differently to promote approaches which focus on outcomes and align effort.

In developing new approaches, strong emphasis needs to be placed on service delivery arrangements which adopt principles of progressive universalism. This means that universal services are offered to all families, with additional services and assistance for those that have specific needs or are at high risk.

Central to achieving this goal is the critical need to strengthen universal services to ensure that all children, young people and their families are given the right start, particularly in their earlier years. Achieving this will provide a solid foundation to underpin more specialised interventions as the need arises.

Reorienting services around the needs of children, young people and their families requires more collaborative and integrated approaches to service delivery that are focussed on achieving the right outcomes for young Tasmanians.

This will involve shifts in professional practices and more child and family centred approaches which acknowledges broad risk and protective factors that influence the wellbeing of children and young people at both individual and community levels.