Supporting children and families to thrive in their relationships

26 July 2024

We’ve partnered with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, on a project that will inform our future prevention and early intervention initiatives for children in their early years.

Relationships Australia Victoria (RAV) has commenced a project with the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), to inform our future prevention and early intervention initiatives for children in their early years. The project includes a review of current evidence, and a co-design process with parents and relevant stakeholders, which will result in an options paper.

We are dedicated to improving outcomes for families and children, and we share the Australian Government’s vision in the recently released Early Years Strategy 2024-2034 to see all children thrive. Early childhood is a critical time for prevention and early intervention, when rewards for investment are most significant. There is now a compelling body of evidence that demonstrates parent and family relationships are the most important protective and preventative factor in the healthy development of children and young people, particularly in the early years (Moore, 2021).

RAV has been delivering the ‘early matters’ prevention and early intervention service in the City of Ballarat and the City of Brimbank since 2015. Ongoing evaluations demonstrate the significant benefits of this program for parents and the community, including improved parental confidence, increased access to support, greater social and emotional awareness, and reduced behavioural concerns. Our ‘early matters’ service continues to adapt to emerging evidence and community needs with an increased focus since 2019 on antenatal, maternal and child health education and support.

Our new, collaborative project with MCRI will improve outcomes for children and families by leveraging our experience in delivering this service, and supporting our commitment to positively influence change that impacts not only our organisation and services, but the sector and community more broadly.

The project commenced in June 2024, with the evidence review and options paper to be completed in October 2024.

Media enquiries
Sandra Opoku, Senior Manager Evaluation and Social Impact, Relationships Australia Victoria
Ph: (03) 8573 2222

In our 2023 submission to the Australian Government’s Early Years Strategy, we highlighted the growing body of evidence that demonstrates parent and family relationships are the most important protective and preventative factor in the healthy development of children and young people, particularly in the early years of life (Moore, 2021).

We also advocated for an increased focus on prevention and early intervention initiatives, such as our ‘early matters’ service, and evidence-based parenting programs such as Tuning in to Kids®. Preventative programs that focus on parental social and emotional competency, healthy relationships, and an understanding of child development, provide protection for both parent and child and are much more economical and effective in the long run.

The Australian Government’s Early Years Strategy, which was released in 2024, responds to the evidence that the first 5 years of life, including the antenatal period, is a critical period of development with implications for overall health and wellbeing now and well into the future. It provides an agreed framework to facilitate better coordination of Australian Government early childhood programs, policies and services.

We welcome the Early Years Strategy, and in particular, the following priorities:

• Embedding the voices of children and their families.
• Empowering parents and families with skills, resources and capabilities.
• Stronger data, research and evaluation.
• Services and supports that are responsive and inclusive to children and their parents.
• A focus on local solutions, community-led change and shared decision making.

We look forward to the Early Years action plans and detailed outcomes framework with measures of success.