Child and Youth Development

Child and youth development provides information about research, programs and monitoring initiatives that support the development and wellbeing of children and young people from 0 to 18 years.

Initiatives, projects and programs

Best Start  - a whole of government prevention and early intervention project that aims to improve the health, development, learning and well-being of all Victorian children from pregnancy through transition to school.

Research and evidence

Australian Early Development Index – information on the AEDI project which gathers population data based on the evaluation of children’s development as they enter school.

Catalogue of Evidence (strategies for improving outcomes for young children) -  an online tool to assist with the planning and provision of  early intervention programs that improve the health and wellbeing of children in the community.

National headline indicators for children’s health, development and wellbeing - a report outlining the process that was undertaken to develop the Headline Indicators (a set of priority issues for children’s health, development and wellbeing)

The Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System (VCAMS) provides a comprehensive overview of the way in which the service system, the community and the family all interact to determine the wellbeing of children, and provides a sound basis for government planning and intervention.