Driving Policy and Planning with Evidence

1. Driving Policy and Planning with Evidence Using a Statewide Monitoring System to Drive Policy and Planning for Children’s Health, Learning, Development and Wellbeing Michael White, Pamela Muth, Sharon Goldfeld, Ronelle Hutchinson Victoria Australia

2. First Annual report on Victoria’s Children • Released November 2006 • All children 0-18 yrs • and sub-populations • Safety, • Health, • Learning, • Development, • and Well-being

3. Data should be at the centre of child health policy, not in the periphery of monitoring Key Principle Child Health Indicators of Life Development Report to the European Union 2002

4. Key Government Commitment to Link :- • What we Valueabout children • What we KNOW about children • What we will DO for children and families

5. Priority-policy cycle Priority Setting Data Driven/Evidence Based Policy Evidence Based Change strategies Improved Outcomes Priority Setting Valuing Monitoring Acting Evaluating Planning

6. Key Question How do we bridge the gap?? Evidence based research On Children’s Development Governments’ social policy and expenditure.

7. What Government Can Do? Economic and Social Incentives Children and young people are provided the best possible start in life and families and communities are given the help they need to achieve this Law and Regulations Physical and Social Planning Funding and Delivery of Services

8. Building a model for managing change Authority

9. Building a model for managing change Public Value Authority

10. Building a model for managing change Public Value Authority Capability

11. Authorising Environment: Government directs the Office for Children to: • Promote strategic research and the measurement of children’s health and wellbeing across the state • Bring together data collected across all Government departments and other relevant agencies dealing with children 0-18 years • Publish an annual report on the safety, health, development, learning and wellbeing of children and youth from 0 to 18 years

12. Major areas of reform • Child Well-Being and Safety Act • Policy Principles • Collective Social Responsibility for Children • Opportunity to reach potential • Outcomes focus • Central importance of parents • Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 • Principles for service provision to children and families • Victorian Children’s Council • Children’s Services Coordination Board • Child Safety Commissioner Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 Child Protection and community services Youth Justice Children’s Court Replaces and modernises the Children and Young PersonsAct 1989 and the Community Services Act 1970

13. Growing the authorising environment – Enabling Mechanisms

14. Growing the authorising environment – Enabling Mechanisms • Children’s Services • Co-ordination Board • Secretaries of 7 Departments • Human Services (chair) • Victorian Communities • Education and Training • Justice • Treasury and Finance • Victoria Police • Premier and Cabinet

15. Service types: Sick children Criminal children Abused children Little children Disabled children Those we happen to know about Positive outcomes: Safety Health Development Learning Wellbeing All children, everywhere Our public value

16. Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System : • Regular tracking of a comprehensive set of indicators enables Government and community leaders to: • Identify areas most in need of intervention • Track the results of investments • Monitor trends over time

17. Local Focus for Action • community level data available………. • particularly for indicators modifiable at the local government area level……….. • so that local policy and planning can be data driven and evidence based

18. Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System • Begins with an Outcomes Framework • 35 Outcomes • Child • Family • Community • Society • Provides a ‘Suite of Indicators’ to measure Outcomes in the Framework

19. What outcomes do we want? • A way of describing what matters • In eyes of parents, professionals and public • Whole child, whole of childhood • Safety, health, development, learning and wellbeing • Individual child, family, community and the broader set of supports provided by society • Indicators for each key outcome

20. The Outcomes Framework – All Children 0 – 18 Years

21. The Outcomes Framework – Approved by SDCC November 2005 Confident & Capable Families

22. Children And Young People • Optimal antenatal/infant development • Optimal physical health • Adequate Nutrition • Free from preventable disease • Healthy teeth and gums • Healthy Weight • Adequate exercise and physical activity • Healthy teenage lifestyle • Safe from injury and harm • Optimal social and emotional development • Positive child behaviour and mental health • Pro-social teenage lifestyle and law abiding behaviours • Teenagers able to rely on supportive adults • Optimal language and cognitive development • Successful in literacy and numeracy • Young people complete secondary education Confident & Capable Families

23. Key Drivers • Families • Healthy adult lifestyle • Parent promotion of child health and development • Good parental mental health • Free from abuse and neglect • Free from child exposure to conflict or family violence • Ability to pay for essentials • Adequate family housing • Positive family functioning Confident & Capable Families

24. Key Drivers Communities • Safe from environmental toxins • Communities that enable parents, children and young people to build connections draw on informal assistance • Accessible local recreation spaces, activities and community facilities • Low levels of crime in community Confident & Capable Families

25. Key Drivers • Society • Quality antenatal care • Early identification of child health needs • High quality early education and care experiences available • Adequate supports to meet needs of families with children with disabilities • Children attend and enjoy school • Adult health and community services that meet needs of parents critical to parenting • Adequate supports for vulnerable teenagers Confident & Capable Families

26. Priority populations • Indigenous children and families • Children/Families who experience a Disability • Children living in chronic disadvantage (Out of home care) • Children/Families who are recent immigrants

27. Administrative Data DHS,DET,DoJ, DVC,VicPolice Government State Local National Annual Reports Community Profiles Communities Schools, Child Care Providers, Health Providers, etc New Collections VCHWS, Local Level survey, Aboriginal Child Survey, Adolescent Survey, etc Aboriginal Community Profiles Others NGOs, Advocacy Groups, Other Interest groups Other Collections School Entrant Health Questionnaire, Victorian Population Health Survey, etc Topical Bulletins, Journal Articles, etc NGO/Uni Data ABS, Survey of Recent Mothers, Vic Injury Survev Unit, Victorian Community Indicators Project, etc Web Based Data Access Researchers Universities Community Experts

28. VCAMS Products • Annual report on Victoria’s children • All children and sub-populations • Released November 2006

29. VCAMS Products Community Profiles • Demographic Profile • Breastfeeding rates • MCH participation • Immunisation • Kindergarten participation • Average absences from school • Reading levels • Child Protection • Asthma admissions • Gastroenteritis Admissions • Public housing retention rates

30. VCAMS Products Aboriginal Community Profiles Local Level Data • Population Profile • Low Birth weight • Teen Births • Immunisation • MCH participation • Kindergarten participation • Hospital separations • Child Protection • Reading levels

31. Key Components of VCAMS • System Development Indicators, Platform • Annual Data Collection Program Surveys • Administrative Data Agreements, data linkage

32. Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System - Indicators 150+ Indicators which:- • Must be child centred • Ecological view of children • Socio-environmental view of determinants • Help to understand inequality

33. Suite of Indicators Selection Criteria Policy Perspective • Understood by people who need to act • Relevant to policy and practice • Reflect results of actions Data Perspective • Measurable for diverse population • Feasible to collect and report • Comply with national processes of data definitions

34. Suite of Indicators The Evidence • Review relevant literature for each indicator and its impact on children’s outcomes • Consultation with experts in particular areas (eg dental health or educational benchmarks) • Evidence base will be documented in a VCAMS Technical Report

35. Key Outcome-Children Attend and Enjoy School • Average rates of students attendance in primary and secondary school • Data collected annually from Department of Education • Students perception of connectedness with peers • Data collected annually from Students Attitude Survey • Level of parental satisfaction with schooling • Data collected annually from Parent Satisfaction Survey

36. Key Outcome-Healthy Teeth and Gums • Proportion of children whose teeth are decay free • Data collected annually from Department of Dental Health Services Victoria • Mean number of decayed, missing or filled teeth among children • Data collected annually from Department of Dental Health Services Victoria • Proportion of children who brush their teeth twice a day • Data collected from The Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey

37. Key Outcome-Free from Abuse and Neglect • Rate of substantiated child abuse • Data collected annually from Department of Human Services • Rate of children on child protection orders • Data collected annually from Department of Human Services • Rate of children in out of home care • Data collected annually from Department of Human Services • Children in Out of Home Care Survey (every 3-4 years)

38. Key Components of VCAMS • Analysis and Reporting • Undertake relevant analyses and develop timely and useful reporting mechanisms • Data Accessibility • Ensure data are available for appropriate policy, planning and evaluation activities for all levels of government • Enable data to be available for researchers through appropriate privacy procedures

39. Addressing the Data Gaps – Baseline Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey • Population based families with a child (0-12 years of age) • Telephone interviews with 14000 families • First survey completed - March 2006 • Repeated June 2007 for local data • Repeated every 2-3 years

40. Addressing the Data Gaps – Baseline Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey • Population based (13-18 years of age) • Methodology to be determined • Survey instrument currently under development • Survey in 2008? • Repeated every 3-4 years

41. Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Populations and Priority Issues Children in Out of Home Care Survey • Targeted population – children 0-18 in out of home care • Repeated every 3-4 years Aboriginal Children’s Health and Wellbeing Survey • Target population – Aboriginal families with children 0-18 • Repeated every 5 years

42. Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Populations and Priority Issues Children with a Disability survey • Target population – families with a child who experiences a disability (0-18 years of age) • Repeated every 3-4 years Children of Recent Immigrants survey • Target population – families with children 0-18 who have recently immigrated to Australia • Repeated every 3-4 years

43. Key Components of VCAMS • Data Linkage program • Maximise current databases through the use of data linkage in existing collections • For example - Plan to link Perinatal Record for all children with the School Entrants Health Questionnaire

44. Driving Policy and Planning with Evidence Michael.white@dhs.vic.gov.au Sharon.goldfeld@dhs.vic.gov.au The Office for Children Department of Human Services Victoria Australia

45. Substantiations: Indigenous and All Children

46. Rate of Indigenous child protection substantiations of children aged 0 to 8 years Source: DHS, CASIS; ABS 2001 Experimental Estimates of the Indigenous Population

47. Rate of Indigenous child protection substantiations of children aged 0 to 8 years Source: DHS, CASIS; ABS 2001 Experimental Estimates of the Indigenous Population

48. Literacy Achievement Indigenous ChildrenPrep Reading Scores *It should be noted that in Maribrynong and Moyne small numbers of children are involved (9 and 11 respectively), other LGAs presented have larger numbers of children Source: DET (School System Development Division)

49. Literacy and numeracy in Years 3, 5 and 7 for Indigenous students Source: DET (School System Development Division)

50. Aboriginal children Mortality rates for babies born to Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers 1998-2002