ReseaRch & evaluation

Putting the pieces in place:Children, communities and social capital in Australia

SNAPSHOT

www.benevolent.org.au

•Childreninthemiddleyears,aged8-12,hadimportantinsightsintotheircommunitiesandhowtheycouldbeimproved.

•Childrenidentifiedfouroverarchingelementsofstrongcommunities:relationships,safety,physicalplacesandresources.

•Whiletherearemanypositiveaspectsofchildren’sexperienceofcommunity,themajorityofchildrenalsodescribedbeingtreatedinarude,dismissiveorhostilemannerbyadultsintheircommunities.

•Manychildrenspokeofbeingdisconnectedfromadultsintheircommunity,includingtheirparents.Timewithparentswasacriticalissue.Childrenwhodescribedspendingmoretimewiththeirparentsweremorelikelytospeakmorepositivelyabouttheircommunities.

•Themajorityofchildrendidnotfeelthattheywerelistenedtowithintheircommunity.

•Childrenlivinginthedisadvantagedcommunitieswerefarmorelikelytobeexposedtonegativeelementsoftheircommunity,suchaspublicdrunkenbehaviour.

Childrenareoftenassumedtobenefitfromstrongcommunities.Yetweknowverylittleaboutchildren’sviewsonwhatmakesastrong,supportivecommunityoraboutchildren’splaceandroleswithinAustraliancommunities.

TheChildren,CommunitiesandSocialCapitalresearch,ofwhichthisisasummary,exploredindepthwhatchildreninmiddlechildhood(aged8-12)thinkabouttheircommunities,howtheyexperience‘community’onadailybasisandwhatvisiontheyhavefortheircommunities.Thefindingsprovideimportantinsightsintocommunitiesfromachild’sstandpoint,andhowtheymightbeimproved.Italsodemonstrateschildren’scapacitytoengageindetaileddiscussionaboutsuchissues.

TheresearchwasconductedbyDrSharonBessellfromtheAustralianNationalUniversityandEmeritusProfessorJanMasonfromtheUniversityofWesternSydney,inpartnershipwithTheBenevolentSocietyandNAPCAN(NationalAssociationforPreventionofChildAbuseandNeglect).

Thefullresearchreportandareportforchildrenareavailable-seebackpagefordetails.

Key Points

2 Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

INTRODUCTIONWhatdochildreninAustraliavalueabouttheircommunities?Andwhatchangesintheircommunitieswouldchildrenliketosee?ThesequestionsunderpinnedtheChildren,CommunitiesandSocialCapitalresearchproject,ofwhichthisisasummary.

Childrenareoftenassumedtobenefitfromstrongcommunities.Yetweknowverylittleaboutchildren’sviewsonwhatmakesastrong,supportivecommunity.Indeed,weknowverylittleaboutchildren’splaceandroleswithinAustraliancommunities.

Theresearchexploredindepthwhatchildreninmiddlechildhood(aged8-12)thinkabouttheircommunities,howtheyexperience‘community’onadailybasisandwhatvisiontheyhavefortheircommunities.Theresearchwaspremisedonthebeliefthatitisnotpossibletounderstandthewaysinwhichcommunitiessupport,orfailtosupport,childrenwithoutaskingthem.

AIMTheaimoftheresearchwastodrawonchildren’sviewsandexperiences,tobringachild-inclusiveperspectivetocommunity-focusedtheory,policyandpractice.

Itaimedtocontributetothedevelopmentofchild-responsiveandchild-inclusivecommunitystrengtheningandsocialinclusionpolicies,initiativesandservices.

METHODOLOGYMorethan100childrenfromsixcommunitiesineasternAustraliaparticipatedintheresearch.Thecommunitiesareinmiddleringandoutersuburbsofmetropolitanareasandoneis2-3hoursfromamajorcity.Fourofthecommunitiesareclassifiedasdisadvantagedonkeysocio-economicindicators.Fourareculturallyandlinguisticallydiverse.

Theresearchersranaseriesofworkshopsusingparticipatorymethods1toengagewiththechildren.Theseincluded:

•aninitialgroupdiscussionexploringwhatcommunitymeanttothechildrenandwhichaspectsoftheircommunitiestheyvaluedordisliked

•childrendrawingmapsoftheircommunity,whichwereusedtostimulatediscussion

•childrencreatingposterswithakeymessageaboutwhatmakesagoodcommunityandwhatmightneedtochange

•childrentowritingmessagesabouttheylikedabouttheircommunities,anddrawingpicturesofwhatasafeandhappycommunitywouldlooklike

•afinaldiscussion,highlightingthemostimportantissues.

•Manychildrendidnotfeelsafewithintheircommunities,especiallychildrenlivingindisadvantagedareas.Fearanddistrustofunfamiliarpeople,carrelatedaggression,andalcohol-fuelledanti-socialorviolentbehaviourmadechildrenfeelhighlyvulnerable.

•Childrenfrombetterofffamiliesweremoreabletobeshieldedfromthenegativeelementsofcommunityandgenerallyweremorelikelythanthoseinthedisadvantagedcommunitiestofeelsafe,toknowtheirneighboursandtobeonfriendlytermswithadults.However,childreninoneofthecommunities−themostadvantagedone−werelesslikelytoknowtheirneighboursastheirtimeoutsideschoolwasverybusywithorganisedactivities.

•Achild’sstandpointisdifferent.Adultperceptionsofthestrengthorinclusivenessofacommunityshouldnotbeusedasaproxyforchildren’sperspectivesandexperiences.

1 See‘Child-CentredResearchWorkshops:Amodelforparticipatory,rights-basedengagementwithchildren’.DevelopingPractice,Issue37,Spring2014forthcoming,formoredetailsaboutthemethodology.

Key Points

Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia 3

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

Follow-upsessionsthenprovidedthechildrenwithanopportunitytorespondtotheresearchers’interpretationoftheirdiscussions.

Interviewswerealsoconductedwithteachers,schoolprincipals,serviceproviderrepresentativesandpolicymakers.Fiveworkshopswereheldtodiscussthefindingsandhelpshapethepolicyimplications.Participantsincludedscholarsworkinginchildhoodstudies,stafffromthepartnerorganisationsandgovernmentofficersfromarangeofstateandCommonwealthagencies.

WHAT CHILDREN SAIDHow children defined communityThemostcommonaspectsoftheirdefinitionsincluded:

•peoplewhoknowandsupporteachother

•peoplehelpingeachotherintimesofdifficulty,includingemergencyprofessionals

•acceptanceofdiversity.

I reckon the community should be a place where people can bond together instead of being separated. Like I think a community should have things that bring all of the people that live around together. (Girl aged 10)

The community jigsawFromtheanalysisofthechildren’sworkshops,theresearcherscreatedacommunityjigsawasagraphicrepresentationoftheelementsofapositivecommunityidentifiedbythechildren.Thejigsawcomprisesfouroverarchingaspectsofcommunities,eachoneconsistingofseveralsub-categories.

A community is like a puzzle, you need to have all the bits to make it work. (Girl aged 9)

The Community Jigsaw

FAMILY

GOODENVIRONMENT

INCLUSIVESPACES

TIME WITH PARENTS

FRIENDS

BEINGLISTENED TO

NODRUNKENNESS

FINANCIALSECURITY

PUBLICSERVICES

NOVIOLENCE

POSITIVEINTERACTIONS

NOBULLYING

CARINGPEOPLE

GOODNEIGHBOURS

GETTOGETHERS

HOME

Relationships

Safety

Physical Places

Resources

4 Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

RelationshipsRelationshipformedthebasis,ortheveryheart,ofcommunity.Mostchildrensaidtheirfamilywasthemostimportantpartoftheircommunityandtheirlives,althoughnoteveryonehadagoodexperienceoffamily.

Mostchildrensaidthattimewithparentswasveryimportantandmanywantedtheirparentstospendmoretimewiththem,tolistentothemandtotalkwiththem.Morethanhalfsaidthattheydidnothaveenoughtimewiththeirparents.Thiswasbecausetheirparentswereverybusyorpreferredsocialisingwithotheradultsinsteadand,insomecases,preferredgoingtopubsorclubs.

Somechildrenspentalotoftimelookingafteryoungersiblingsorhelpinginfamilybusinessesandsomelookedaftertheirparentssomeofthetime.

Adultscouldmakeabigandpositivedifferenceinacommunitybybeingkindandfriendlytowardschildren.Childrenwhoknewtheirneighboursandgotonwellwiththemdescribedfeelingsafeandhappybecausetheyknewtherewerefriendlyandsupportivepeoplelookingoutforthem.

Childrensaidthatthepeopletheymetdailybutdidn’tknowwell,suchasshopkeepersandbusdrivers,werealsoimportant.Thesepeoplecouldmakechildrenfeelsafeandwelcomeinthecommunity–orunwelcomeanduncomfortable.

Therewasaverystrongviewthateveryoneinacommunity,oldoryoung,shouldbetreatedwithrespect.Respectincludedbeinglistenedto.Themajorityofchildrendidnotfeelthattheywerelistenedtowithintheircommunity,evenwhentheyhadsomethingimportanttosay.

Manyofthechildrensaidtheyenjoyedshows,fetesandcommunitycelebrationsthatbringpeopletogetherlocally.Alargenumbersaidtheywouldliketohavemoresucheventsintheircommunity.

SafetyAlmosteverychildsaidthatfeelingsafeinthecommunitywasveryimportant.Childrensaidtheyfeltsafewhentheirday-to-dayinteractionswithotherpeoplewerefriendlyandsupportive.Childrenalsofeltsaferwhentheyknewalotofpeopleintheircommunitybecauseitmeanttheyhadsomeonetoturntoiftheyhadaproblem.

Communitiesthatwerefreefromviolencemadechildrenfeelsafer.Severalchildrenhadexperienceofpeoplebehavingviolentlyintheircommunity,forexamplefightingorswearing.Thismadethemfeelveryunsafe.

Childrenalsofeltveryunsafewhenpeopledrovecarsindangerousways,andsomethoughtthiswasatypeofviolence.Speeding,burn-outsandroadrageallmadechildrenfeelveryunsafe.Insomecommunities,childrenfeltsounsafetheydidnotwanttogooutontothestreet.

Alotofchildrenwhoparticipatedinthisresearchsaidtheysometimes,oroften,sawdrunkpeople(sometimesteenagers,butusuallyadults)inpublicplaces.Drunkadultsmadechildrenscared.Theywereunpredictable,oftenbehavedverybadlyandweremorelikelytobeviolent,toswearandbeaggressive.Somechildrenalsoworriedthatadultswouldhurtthemselveswhendrunk,especiallyiftheytriedtodrive.

Fearsaboutsafetywereamplifiedbystoriesthatthechildrenhadheardfromadultsandotherchildren,TV,moviesandnewsmedia,aboutthethreatsposedby‘strangers’.

Physical placesThephysicalenvironmentinwhichtheylivedwasimportanttochildren’sexperienceofandconnectionwithcommunity.Homewasthemostimportantplaceformostchildrenandwasthephysicalcentreoftheircommunity.However,somechildrensaidtheydidnotfeelverysafeathome.

Childrensaidthatgoodplaceswereoneswhereeveryonefeelsincludedandwelcome,regardlessofage.Theywantedmorefunandwelcomingplacessuitablefortheiragegroup(8-12).Manysaidtheywantedtouseplayequipmentintheirlocalparks,butitwasoftendesignedforverylittlechildren.Manyboyswishedthereweremoreskateparksintheirlocalcommunity.Girlswerelesslikelytowantskateparksbutsaidtherewerenotenoughplacestogoonceapersonturnstenorelevenyears.

Childrensaidthequalityoftheenvironmentwasimportant.Agoodenvironmenthadnograffiti–especiallyrudegraffiti–andnolitter,cigarettebutts,dogpooorbrokenglass.Playequipmentshouldbeingoodrepair.

Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia 5

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

ResourcesResourceswereseenasimportantincontributingto,andoftenshaping,children’sexperienceofcommunity.Thereweretwoelementstoresources:theirfamily’sfinancialcircumstancesandpublicservicessuchashospitals,schoolsandroads.

Somechildrensaidthattheywerenotabletoplaysportortakepartinotheractivitiesbecausetheycosttoomuch.Somesaidtheydidnotasktheirparentsabouttakingpartincertainactivitiesbecausetheyknewtheirparentscouldnotaffordtopayandtheydidnotwanttomaketheirparentsfeelbad.

Alotofchildrenwhoparticipatedinthisresearchwereconcernedabouthealthcareandsafetyonthestreetsoftheircommunity.Manysaidthereshouldbemorehospitalsandthatpeoplewhoaresickorinjuredshouldnothavetowaittoolongformedicalcare.Severalchildrensaidtheywouldliketoseemorepoliceintheircommunities,tomakesureeveryoneissafe.

Severalchildrenwereveryconsciousofthecostofhousingandwereconcernedabouthomelessness,sayingthatthegovernmentshouldmakesureeveryonehasasafeplacetolive.

KEY FINDINGSThefindingsprovideimportantinsightsintocommunitiesfromachild’sstandpoint.Theyalsodemonstratechildren’scapacitytoengageindetaileddiscussionaboutkeyissues.

Relationships, respect and inclusion matter Whilethereweremanypositiveaspectsofchildren’sexperienceofcommunity,themajorityofchildrenwhoparticipatedintheresearchalsodescribedbeingtreatedinarude,dismissiveorhostilemannerbytheadultsintheircommunities.Manychildrenspokeofbeingdisconnectedfromtheadultsintheircommunity,includingtheirparents.Parents’longworkinghours,timeburdens,injuryorillness,or/andapreferenceforsocialisingwithotheradultswereallreasonsgivenbychildrenforthelimitedtimetheywereabletospendwiththeirparents.

Thisishighlyrelevantforchildren’sexperiencesofcommunity,asmanychildrendescribedtheirparentsas

actualorpotentialcatalystsfortheirowninvolvementintheircommunities.However,itisimportanttoemphasiseherethatchildren’sinsightsindicatethatlackoftimewithparentsisnotjustaconsequenceofparentalchoice.Socialfactorsincludingfinancialpressures,(adult)peerexpectationsandsocialandlabourmarketpolicies,wereoftencrucialdeterminantsofhowfamiliesstructuretheirtime.

Childrenwhodescribedspendingmoretimewiththeirparentsweremorelikelytospeakpositivelyabouttheircommunities.

Whilethemostintimaterelationships(usuallywithclosefamily)werecentraltochildren’ssenseofcommunity,sotoowereotherrelationships.Childrenwhoknewtheirneighboursandhadpositivedailyinteractionswithpeoplearoundthem(bothadultsandchildren)weremorelikelytofeelsafe,includedandrespectedwithintheircommunities.Supportiveandrespectfulrelationships,includingintergenerationalrelationships,areessentialtochildren’spositivesenseofcommunity.

Asignificantnumberofchildrensaidtheyspendalargeamountoftimedoinghomework,whichhadanegativeimpactonthetimeavailabletoengageincommunityactivities.

Many children do not feel safe Manychildrenreportednotfeelingsafeintheircommunity.Thisstrikingfindingwasfarmorelikelytobethecaseforchildrenlivinginareasidentifiedas‘disadvantaged’.

Threefactorswereparticularlysignificantastowhychildrenfeltunsafe.Firstly,children–particularlyinthedisadvantagedcommunities–werefearfulanddistrustfulofpeoplewithwhomtheywerenotfamiliar.Thislimitedtheextenttowhichtheyfeltsafebeingoutandaboutontheirown.

Secondly,childrenfeltthreatenedbycar-relatedaggressionandviolence.Thiscreatesstreetscapesthatareexclusiveofandhostiletochildren.

Thirdly,andveryimportantlyforchildren,excessiveuseofalcoholinpublicspaces–andthedrunkenandoftenviolentbehaviourthataccompaniesit–madechildrenfeelhighlyvulnerableanddamagedthepotentialforchildrentofeelsafeandincludedintheircommunities.

6 Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

Socio-economic status makes a difference Childrenlivinginthefourdisadvantagedsiteswerefarmorelikelythanthoselivinginthemoreadvantagedsitestodescribebeingexposedtonegativeelementsoftheircommunity.

Thisresearchfoundthatchildrenwhoseparentshadmoreresourceswerebetterabletobeshieldedfromthenegativeelementsofcommunity,suchasanti-socialordangerousbehaviour,thewayscarsaredriven,andpublicdrunkenness.

Childrenintheadvantagedcommunitieswerefarmorelikelythanthoseinthedisadvantagedcommunitiestofeelsafeintheircommunity.Theywerealsolesslikelythanchildreninthedisadvantagedcommunities,toencounterpublicdrunkenbehaviour.

Childreninmoreadvantagedcommunitiesweremorelikelytoknowtheirneighboursandtobeonfriendlytermswithadults,whichwasimportanttotheirsenseofsafety.However,whilechildreninthemostadvantagedcommunitydescribedfeelingsafeintheircommunity,theyindicatedthattheywereoftenquitedisconnectedfromtheirlocalcommunity.Theydescribedverybusyschedulesthatallowedthemlittletimetogettoknowthepeoplelivingnearthemortobeinvolvedintheircommunityoutsideofschool.

Children were ambivalent as to whether school was part of their communityChildrenwhoparticipatedinthisresearchconsideredschooltobeaveryimportantpartoftheirlives,butsomedescribeditasaninstitutionratherthanpartofthecommunity.Schoolfriends,however,weregenerallyconsideredtobecentraltochildren’scommunities.Schoolwasvariouslydescribedaspartofthecommunity,asacommunityinandofitself,andasseparatefromcommunity.Thisraisesimportantquestionsaboutpoliciesthatassumeschoolisthemostimportant–oronly–aspectofachild’scommunity.

A child’s standpoint is different Thisresearchdemonstratespowerfullythatadultperceptionsofthestrengthorinclusivenessofacommunityshouldnotbeusedasaproxyforchildren’sperspectivesandexperiences.Achild’sstandpointalsochallengesustoconfrontthewaysinwhichcommunitiesarehostiletowardschildrenandcreateforthemasenseofdistrustorthreat.

Atthesametime,manyoftheissuesraisedbychildrenarelikelytobeimportantforadultsaswell,suchasconcernsaboutpublicviolenceandpublicdrunkenness,andtheimportanceofpublicservices.

Forcommunitiestobesafeandsupportiveplacesforchildren,itiscrucialthattheirperspectives,experiencesandprioritiesarelistenedtoandtakenseriously.Solutionsforadultsarenotalwayssolutionsforchildren.

Anexampleisthewaythattheprovisionofchildren’sroomsbymanyclubsandothervenuesservingalcoholandprovidinggambling,worksdifferentlyforadultsandforchildren.Whilechildren’sroomsarepresentedas‘familyfriendly’andasameansofkeepingchildrenhappilyoccupiedwhileparentssocialise,asignificantproportionofchildreninthisresearchwhousedsuchroomshadadifferentview.Theydescribedchildren’sroomsasboringandexclusionary;somethingtobeenduredwhileadultshavefun.Theissuehereisnotthechildren’sroomsperse,butthewayinwhichchildrenareexcludedbyadultformsofsocialising.

POLICY IMPLICATIONSAnumberofpolicyimplicationsarisefromtheresearch.Theseareputforwardtoencourageandcontributetodebateaboutthewaysinwhichcommunitiescouldbettersupportandincludechildrenandreflecttheirvisionofstrongandpositivecommunities.

Relationships • Labourmarketpoliciesandworkforceparticipation

requirementsplaceduponparents(suchasCentrelinkrequirementsforpeopleonallowances),shouldtakeaccountofthecentralityoftimespentwithparentstochildren’ssenseofcommunity,notonlyintheearlyyearsbutalsoinmiddlechildhood.

Putting the Pieces in Place: childRen, communities and social caPital in austRalia 7

Research & Evaluation Snapshot

• Planninganddesignprocessesshouldtakegreateraccountofcreatingentertainmentandrecreationspaces(includingclubsandsimilarvenues)thataregenuinelychild-inclusive.Clubsandsimilarvenuesshouldensurethattherearelimitsonthelengthoftimeparentscanleavechildrenin‘children’srooms’.

• Broad-basedcommunityeventsshouldbesupported,withparticularattentiontomakingtheminclusiveofchildren.Theyshouldbealcohol-freeorshouldseverelyrestrictitsavailability.

• Local,placebasedinitiativesdesignedtocreatefamiliaritybetweenneighbours,includingchildren,shouldbepromotedbybothgovernmentandnon-governmentagencies.

• Measuresandindicatorsofsocialinclusion,socialcapitaland/orcommunitystrength/supportshouldexplicitlyincludedatarelatingtochildreninmiddlechildhood.

• AgenciessuchastheHumanRightsCommissionandChildren’sCommissionersatfederalandstatelevelsshouldgivegreaterattentiontopromotingsocialattitudesthatvalueandrespectchildren.

Safety • Governmentsatalllevelsshouldrecognisethat

excessiveuseofalcoholbyadults,andassociateddrunkenbehaviour,hasadirectandnegativeimpactonchildren’ssenseofsafetyandinclusionintheircommunities,andrespondaccordingly.

• Stateandlocalgovernmentsshouldacttocurbexcessivepublicuseofalcoholbyadults.Thisshouldincludeprovidingresourcesforclosermonitoringofalcohol-servingvenuesbylicensingbodiesandlawenforcementagencies;andgreaterpromotion,fundingandenforcementofResponsibleServiceofAlcohol(RSA)requirements.

• Greaterattentionshouldbepaidtothesocialimpactoflicensingnewalcohol-servingvenuesandofextendingthetradinghoursofexistingvenues,especiallyinresidentialareas.Socialimpactanalysesshouldbeseriouslyundertaken,ratherthanbetick-a-boxexercises.Socialimpact

analysesthatfocusontheimpactonchildrenshouldbedevelopedandimplemented.

• Stateandlocalgovernmentsshoulddevelopandstrengthenstrategiestomakepublicspacessuchasparkssafeandattractiveforchildren,includingforthoseinmiddlechildhood.Moreresourcesshouldbeallocatedtomaintainingparksasalcohol-free,drug-free,cleanspaceswherecommunities,familiesandchildrencansocialise.

Places • Childrenshouldbeconsultedintheplanningand

designofpublicspaces,inlinewithchild-friendlycityprinciples(suchasthoseofUNICEF:http://www.unicef.org.au/Discover/Australia-s-children/Child-Friendly-Cities.aspx).

• Planningprocessesshouldtakegreateraccountofgenderdifferencesinboys’andgirls’usesofpublicspaces,withparticularattentiontofunandinclusiveplacesforgirlsinmiddlechildhood.

• Publicspacesforchildrenshouldtakeaccountoftheneedsandpreferencesofchildreninmiddlechildhoodforplacesthatareinclusiveandsafe,butalsofunandexciting,withscopeforengaginginhighenergyplay/games.

• Newsuburbsandestatesshouldbebuiltwithadequatefootpathstoallowchildrentomovesafelyaroundtheirneighbourhoods.Attentionshouldbegiventomaintenanceofpathsinexistingsuburbs.

• Place-basedservicesshouldbeassessedtoensuretheyaregenuinelyinclusiveofandaccessibletochildren.

• CommunitiesforChildrenandsimilarinitiativesshouldidentifychildrenas‘stakeholders’andconsultthemonthetypesofservicesneededinthearea.

Wehelppeoplechangetheirlivesthroughsupportandeducation,andwespeakoutforajustsocietywhereeveryonethrives.We’reAustralia’sfirstcharity.We’reanot-for-profitandnon-religiousorganisationandwe’vehelpedpeople,familiesandcommunitiesachievepositivechangefor200years.

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PublishedMarch2014.

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AcknowledgmentsThisresearchwasundertakenbyDrSharonBessell,AustralianNationalUniversity,andEmeritusProfJanMason,UniversityofWesternSydney,inpartnershipwithTheBenevolentSocietyandNAPCAN.ItwasmadepossiblebyanAustralianResearchCouncilLinkagegrantandthesupportofthepartnerorganisations.Theresearcherswouldalsoliketothankthemanyotherswhocontributed–researchcolleagues,schoolprincipals,teachersandgovernmentofficers.Butmostimportantlyourthanksgotothechildrenfortheirenthusiasticparticipation,commitmentandremarkableinsights.

Resources • Federal,stateandlocalgovernmentinitiatives

thatprovideservicesfocusingprimarilyonearlychildhoodshouldbeextendedtoprovideforchildreninmiddlechildhood,asappropriatetotheirneeds.

• Anyproposedcutsorexpansionstoservices,suchaspolice,hospitalsandfamilybenefits,shouldbeassessedfortheirimpactonchildren.

School • Initiativestobuildstrongcommunitiesshould

recognisethatschoolisonlyoneaspectofchildren’scommunitiesandnotrelyexclusivelyonschools.

• Iftheroleexpectedofschoolsisexpandedtoincludecommunitystrengtheningandbuilding,individualschoolsmustberesourcedadequatelytodoso.

• Thedevelopmentofschoolcurriculaatnationalandstatelevelsshouldconsiderevidenceonthenegative,aswellaspositive,aspectsofschoolhomework,andontheimpactofhomeworkonotheraspectsofchildren’slivesanddevelopment.

Thefullreportandareportforchildrenareavailableat:cpc.crawford.anu.edu.auwww.napcan.org.auwww.benevolent.org.au