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Growing Up in Australia

On 21 April 2006, ABS Perth was pleased to host a presentation by Carol Soloff, Project Manager for Growing Up in Australia, the longitudinal study of Australian Children. Carol works for the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) in Melbourne and was in Perth to help train ABS interviewers for the second wave of data collection for this landmark study.

In 2004, over 10,000 children and families around Australia agreed to take part in this study, which is following the development of these children every two years until at least 2010.

The study is designed to identify policy opportunities for improving support for children and their families, as well as opportunities for early intervention and prevention strategies.

Growing Up in Australia was initiated and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) and is conducted in partnership with AIFS with advice from a group of leading researchers from around Australia.

The study is following two cohorts of children: children aged 0-1 years and children aged 4-5 years at first interview. A wide range of information is collected covering child and family health, education, child-care, family functioning, child functioning and socio-demographic variables, from both parents and, where applicable, the child's non-parental carer.

Data from the first wave of the study were released in May 2005, and analysis of the dataset of over 4,000 variables will help to answer questions such as how well Australian children are doing, how their outcomes are linked to the wider environment and what early indicators are linked to particular outcomes.

This dataset is available for a nominal fee to researchers and government agencies approved by (FaCSIA). For further information about accessing this dataset and about Growing Up in Australia, visit the AIFS Web site:http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup