A Vision for Integrated Early Childhood Service Delivery

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that social disadvantage is complex and that "... income inequality is a key generator of personal and social malaise..." (Rowlands, 2010, p. 80). We see across Australia significant levels of inequality and social disadvantage. For example, the Australian Early Development Index, collected nationally for the first time in 2009 (Centre for Community Child Health & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, 2009) demonstrates that 23.4% of children are developmentally vulnerable on one or more domains and 11.8% on two or more domains. Children living in the most socio-economically disadvantaged Australian communities are much more likely to be developmentally vulnerable than children living in more advantaged communities (31.5% compared to 11.8% nationally on two or more domains). Living in a remote area also increases risks for developmental vulnerability; 47.2% of children living in very remote Australia are developmentally vulnerable on one or more domain and 30.6% on two or more domains. Child poverty is particularly problematic because it is associated with lack of opportunities which result in life-long disadvantage. A recent UNICEF review (Adamson, 2010) identified that, compared to other OECD countries, child poverty in Australia is particularly concerning: the gap between the children who 'have' and those who 'have-not' in Australia is wider than in many other OECD countries. This impacts on educational resources (measured by having access to a desk, a quiet place to study, a computer for school work, educational software, an internet connection, a calculator, a dictionary, and school textbooks) and thus opportunities to succeed.