Evidence to get it right in the early years: Our collective - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Evidence to get it right in the early years: Our collective responsibility

Our Strategic Approach “What is the best contribution that the Collaboration can make to support families and communities improve the wellbeing of children?” • Strategy Summit • Delphi Survey • Consultation with key stakeholders across all sectors • Researched current trends, issues and barriers for children and their families

Not everything that counts can be counted Not everything that is counted, counts 10 key numbers that drive what counts for us…

First 1,000 days • Returns on investment for well designed early years’ interventions significantly exceed their cost • Benefits ranged from 75% to over 1,000% higher than costs, with rates of return on investment significantly and repeatedly shown to be higher than those obtained from most public and private investments.

700–1,000 new neural connections / second • At birth there are approx 2,300 synapses per neuron • By 2-3 years there are approx 15,000 synapses (650% increase) per neuron • Neural connections are formed through interaction of genes and a baby’s environment and experiences especially “serve and return” interaction with adults (reciprocity). * A grain-sized speck of your brain contains 100,000 neurons and 1 billion talking synapses (Centre on the Developing Child, Harvard University, 2016; Myers 2004)

900 compared to 300 at 32 months… • Ability gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged open up early in the lives of children. • Disadvantage should be measured by quality of parenting and not necessarily by resources available to family (Heckman, 2008)

90-100% chance of developmental delays when children experience 6-7 risk factors • Significant adversity impairs development in first 3 years of life. • The more adversity the greater the odds of developmental delay for cognitive, language or emotional development. (Barth et al, 2008)

3:1 odds of adult heart disease after 7-8 adverse childhood experiences* Early experiences get under your skin…cognitively, emotionally and physically Significant adversity (toxic stress) in childhood increases risks of many adult health problems (and significantly disrupts brain development): • Diabetes • Hypertension • Stroke • Obesity • Some forms of cancer *Adults who can recall 7-8 serious adverse childhood experiences - 3X more likely to have CV disease as adult (Dong et al, 2004)

20%-50% lower morbidity and mortality Sweden adopted a policy of investment in early years’ prevention, returns are not only financial but in strikingly better health for the whole population. • Infant mortality 50% lower than UK • Obesity levels more than 50% lower than UK • Teenage pregnancy 25% of UK levels • Deaths from cancer & smoking related diseases approx 20% lower than UK • Deaths form circulatory diseases 25% lower than UK • Deaths from chronic liver disease more than 50% lower than UK (UNICEF, 2007)

Macro perspective: 2% change to pay for themselves Lifetime costs of bad outcomes - early years interventions cost-effectiveness judged by the minimum number of cases of child abuse, drug use problems or criminality a given intervention can reliably be predicted to prevent. Early years interventions need to be successful in preventing child abuse in only 2% of their participants to pay for themselves , without taking account of what they may deliver in reduced alcohol or drug abuse, future domestic violence or such other benefits as reduced medical and welfare costs (Cohen et al, 2010)

Net benefits $1,400 - $240,000 / child • 8 conservative cost benefit analyses of early years programs (or meta- analyses) showed benefits significantly exceeding costs – payoff per $ invested ranging from $1.80 to $17.07 • Estimated net benefits ranged from $1,400 to nearly $240,000 /child • Greatest benefits from long term follow-up (Rand/Karoly et al 2005)

$80,000 return/child… Chicago Child-Parent Centre Program* : • Benefits of more than $80,000 / child - $10.80 of benefits / $1 invested • Children with 4 or more family risk factors yielded almost double the benefits of those with fewer ($12.80 Vs $7.20 / $1 invested) • Children from highest poverty neighbourhoods had returns more than 4X higher than those from less disadvantaged areas * Embedded in Chicago public schools for 4 decades (Reynolds et al, 2011)

0-3 years highest return • Financial returns on investment are highest for age 0-3 and diminish progressively as children become older. • Learning begets learning… early benefits become cumulative • Early years interventions promote both economic efficiency and reduce lifetime inequality Provide policy makers with a rare opportunity to spend money in a way that delivers social and economic benefits at the same time (Heckman, 2008)

Greatest payback? • Basic principles of neuroscience and the process of human skill formation indicate that early years’ intervention for the most vulnerable children will generate the greatest payback . • Returns are much higher for families from poverty neighbourhoods and those with more family risk factors. Reynolds et al, 2011

Our Strategic Approach “What is the best contribution that the Collaboration can make to support families and communities improve the wellbeing of children?” • Strategy Summit • Delphi Survey • Consultation with key stakeholders across all sectors • Researched current trends, issues and barriers for children and their families

75.2% of Australian Children are developmentally on track • There is a sizeable minority who are vulnerable and falling further behind. • Children living in the most socio-economically disadvantaged areas were 4.1 times more likely to be developmentally vulnerable than those from the least disadvantaged areas. Department of Education and Training. Australian Early Development Census - 2015 National Report. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory; 2016

82% ranked engaging with families experiencing vulnerability as a top priority Delphi survey asked what research issues should CoLab focus on? 1. Engaging families experiencing vulnerability 2. Economic analyses 3. Early education and care 4. Enhancing learning environments within playgroups, centre-based care, schools & community and home 110 stakeholders participated in the Delphi survey- Thank you!

17.4% of Australian Children Live below the Poverty Line Significant or prolonged activation of the stress response systems can have lifelong damaging effects on learning, behaviour and health Saunders, P, Bradbury B, Wong, M, Poverty in Australia (2016). Australian Council of Social Service and the Social Policy Research Centre, 2016, University of New South Wales; Strawberry Hills.

Service Delivery Research/Policy questions (examples): Where do vulnerable children first • enter the service system? What pathways do they take • through the service systems? How could public sector agencies • collaborate to optimise early intervention? Telethon Kids Institute, Linked Data and Social Policy Group

80% identified service integration / place- based approaches as key Service integration/ Place-based approaches - advocating for integrated, holistic services that make sense for families Working with services and schools to improve their policy and practice - using the experiences of families to enhance service design and delivery

Roebourne- 1410 People, 206 Services, 63 Organisations Complex and poorly coordinated services ORGANISATIONS PROVIDING SERVICES SERVICE TYPE Western Australia • Health Department of WA Pilbara Rehabilitation Facility Alcohol and Drug Mawarnkarra Aboriginal Health Service Pilbara Alcohol & Drug Aboriginal Program $50,978 per Aboriginal Services Yandina Family Services Incorporated Roebourne Prison WA Police person Department of Child Protection WA Police Children and Youth Department of Justice Shire of Roebourne Issues Department of Education Department for Communities and Local Government $19,512 per non- Department of Health Commonwealth Department for Human Services Department of Housing Commonwealth Department for Education, Employment Aboriginal person Pilbara Institute Clontarf Foundation Nuragwanna School Pilbara Development Commission DCP - Manga Tharndu Maya Yandina Family Services Incorporated Health Mawarnkarra Aboriginal Health Service Department of Attorney General Productivity Commission’s 2012 Department of Housing Yandina Family Services Incorporated Overcrowding and Indigenous Expenditure Report (IER) for Department of Child Protection Department of Aboriginal Affairs housing issues Western Australia Pilbara Community Legal Service Ashburton Shire Mawarnkarra Aboriginal Health Service Commonwealth Department of Housing Home & Community Care (HACC) Home & Community Care (HACC) Housing Mawarnkarra Aboriginal Health Service (MAHS) Pilbara & Kimberley Care Inc WA Country Health Service Rio Tinto Iron Ore Marnda Mia Employment and Woodside Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation Training Pilbara Institute Commonwealth Department for Education and Employment Graham Polly Foundation FACHSIA Roebourne District High School Ngarliyarndu Bindirri Aboriginal Corporation (NBAC Reference: Karratha Senior High School Ngarluma Yindibarndi Foundation Ltd (NFYL) Gumula Corporation Government of Western Australia, Location Based Services Review 2014