In 2017, Royal Far West, a not-for-profit organisation providing leadership in rural and remote children’s health and wellbeing, commissioned the Centre for Community Child Health to undertake a review of the health and development and wellbeing of children in rural and remote Australia.

Published in September 2017, Reporting the Health and Development of Children in Rural and Remote Australia:

• profiled the population characteristics of children in rural and remote Australia
• identified the current context and the developmental health needs, met and unmet, of vulnerable children and families in rural and remote Australia; and
• provided an evidence-based overview of what is causing the status quo, and what is most effective in addressing these issues. 

The Report emphasised the developmental, behavioural and mental health status/needs of children aged 0-12 years of age, and existing gaps in the provision of appropriate services that help address developmental needs and support children, and their families, to reach their potential. 

The review presented a range of key findings covering: 

• the distribution of children by Indigenous status and remoteness, across each jurisdiction
  
• the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children
• the profile of children residing in rural and remote areas in each of the identified jurisdictions
  
• main service gaps for children and families in remote and rural Australia
• what the evidence says about ways of improving health and development outcomes for children in rural and remote Australia
• strategies shown to be effective in improving access and outcomes for children
• knowledge gaps and opportunities to improve services and outcomes.

Report

Download the full report here.

Read the summary report: The Invisible Children: The state of country children’s health and development in Australia

For more information

For more information on Reporting the Health and Development of Children in Rural and Remote Australia, contact Noushin Arefadib, CCCH Senior Project Officer and report co-author.