Driving Policy and Planning with Evidence

Department of Human Services

Driving Policy and Planning with EvidenceDriving Policy and Planning with Evidence

Using a Statewide Monitoring System to Drive Policy and Planning for Children’s Health, Learning, Development and Wellbeing

Michael White, Pamela Muth, Sharon Goldfeld, Ronelle Hutchinson Victoria Australia

First Annual report on First Annual report on Victoria’s ChildrenVictoria’s Children

• Released November 2006

– All children 0-18 yrs– and sub-populations

• Safety, • Health, • Learning,• Development, • and Well-being

Data should be at the centre of Data should be at the centre of child health policy, not in the child health policy, not in the periphery of monitoringperiphery of monitoring

Child Health Indicators of Life Development

Report to the European Union 2002

Key PrincipleKey Principle

Key Government Key Government Commitment to Link :-Commitment to Link :-

• What we Value about children

• What we KNOW about children

• What we will DO for children and families

Priority Setting

Data Driven/Evidence Based Policy

Evidence Based Change strategies

Improved Outcomes

Priority Setting

Priority-policy cyclePriority-policy cycle

Valuing

Monitoring

Acting

Evaluating

Planning

Key QuestionKey Question

How do we bridge the gap??

Evidence based research

OnChildren’s

Development

Governments’ social policy

and

expenditure.

Children and young people are provided the best possible start

in life and families and communities are

given the help they needto achieve this

Economic and Social Incentives

Funding and Delivery of Services

Law

and

Reg

ulat

ions

Physical and S

ocial Planning

What Government Can Do?What Government Can Do?

Building a model for Building a model for managing change managing change

Authority

Building a model for Building a model for managing changemanaging change

Authority Public Value

Building a model for Building a model for managing changemanaging change

Authority Public Value

Capability

Authorising EnvironmentAuthorising Environment: : Government directs the Office for Children to:Government directs the Office for Children to:

• Promote strategic research and the measurement of children’s health and wellbeing across the state

• Bring together data collected across all Government departments and other relevant agencies dealing with children 0-18 years

• Publish an annual report on the safety, health, development, learning and wellbeing of children and youth from 0 to 18 years

Major areas of reformMajor areas of reform

Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005•Principles for service provision to children and families

•Victorian Children’s Council

•Children’s Services Coordination Board

•Child Safety Commissioner

Children, Youth and Families Act 2005

Replaces and modernises the Children and Young Persons Act 1989 and the Community Services Act 1970

Child Protection and community services

Children’s Court Youth Justice

Child Well-Being and Safety Act

Policy Principles

•Collective Social Responsibility for Children

•Opportunity to reach potential

•Outcomes focus

•Central importance of parents

Growing the authorising Growing the authorising environment – environment – Enabling MechanismsEnabling Mechanisms

Ministerial Minister for ChildrenMinister for Community Services

Whole of government

Children’sServices Board

Victorian Children’s Council

“Regional champions”

Whole of DHS

DHS Executive Child Outcomes Leadership Group

Office for children

Divisional Executive Advisory Committees

Growing the authorising Growing the authorising environment – environment – Enabling MechanismsEnabling Mechanisms

Ministerial Minister for ChildrenMinister for Community Services

Whole of government

Children’s Services Co-ordination Board

IDC Victorian Children’s Council

“Regional champions”

Whole of DHS

DHS Executive Child Outcomes Leadership Group

Office for children

Divisional Executive Advisory Committees

Children’s Services Co-ordination Board

Secretaries of 7 Departments•Human Services (chair)•Victorian Communities•Education and Training•Justice•Treasury and Finance•Victoria Police•Premier and Cabinet

Our public valueOur public value

• Service types:– Sick children– Criminal children– Abused children– Little children– Disabled children

• Those we happen to know about

• Positive outcomes:– Safety– Health– Development– Learning– Wellbeing

• All children, everywhere

Victorian Child and Adolescent Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System :Monitoring System :

• Regular tracking of a comprehensive set of indicators enables Government and community leaders to:

– Identify areas most in need of intervention– Track the results of investments– Monitor trends over time

Local Focus for ActionLocal Focus for Action

• community level data available……….

• particularly for indicators modifiable at the local government area level………..

• so that local policy and planning can be

data driven and evidence based

Victorian Child and Adolescent Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring SystemMonitoring System

• Begins with an Outcomes Framework– 35 Outcomes

• Child• Family• Community• Society

• Provides a ‘Suite of Indicators’ to measure Outcomes in the Framework

What outcomes do we want?What outcomes do we want?

• A way of describing what matters – In eyes of parents, professionals and public

• Whole child, whole of childhood– Safety, health, development, learning and

wellbeing– Individual child, family, community and the

broader set of supports provided by society

• Indicators for each key outcome

The Outcomes Framework – All Children 0 – 18 YearsThe Outcomes Framework – All Children 0 – 18 Years

Child who is safe, healthy,

and continuing to

develop, learn and achieve

wellbeing

Priorities focusing on Communities

•Participating in community life

•Developing positive relationships

•Able to get help when needed, particularly from supportive adults

•Safe from crime•Engaged in decision

making and leadership opportunities

Priorities focusingon Children

•Good antenatal Development

•Free from dental caries•Low levels of obesity, •Good nutrition &

activity levels•Safe from child abuse

and neglect•Successful literacy and

numeracy learning•Low levels of injury•Engaged in law abiding

and positive behaviour•Physically, mentally

healthy lifestyle

Priorities focusing on Supports & Services

•Engaged with Maternal and Child Health

•Accessing Child Care as needed

•Completing Kindergarten •Attending and Enjoying

School•Completing secondary

school•Accessing Family

Support as needed•Good access to local

recreation activities and spaces

Priorities focusing on Families

•Healthy parental behaviour

•Good Postnatal mental health

•Breastfeeding•Reading to children•Family violence•Adequate family income•Family functioning

supports children’s and parents’ wellbeing

•Children have security, stability and are cared for

Safe, Healthy child,

learning developing,achieving wellbeing.

The Outcomes Framework – The Outcomes Framework –

Approved by SDCC November 2005Approved by SDCC November 2005














healthy lifestyle

















Children And Young People

•Optimal antenatal/infant development

•Optimal physical health

•Adequate Nutrition

•Free from preventable disease

•Healthy teeth and gums

•Healthy Weight

•Adequate exercise and physical activity

•Healthy teenage lifestyle

•Safe from injury and harm

•Optimal social and emotional development

•Positive child behaviour and mental health

•Pro-social teenage lifestyle and law abiding behaviours

•Teenagers able to rely on supportive adults

•Optimal language and cognitive development

• Successful in literacy and numeracy

•Young people complete secondary education














healthy lifestyle

















Key Drivers

Families

•Healthy adult lifestyle

•Parent promotion of child health and development

•Good parental mental health

•Free from abuse and neglect

•Free from child exposure to conflict or family violence

•Ability to pay for essentials

•Adequate family housing

•Positive family functioning














healthy lifestyle

















Key Drivers Communities

•Safe from environmental toxins

•Communities that enable parents, children and young people to build connections draw on informal assistance

•Accessible local recreation spaces, activities and community facilities

•Low levels of crime in community














healthy lifestyle

















Key Drivers

Society

• Quality antenatal care

•Early identification of child health needs

•High quality early education and care experiences available

•Adequate supports to meet needs of families with children with disabilities

•Children attend and enjoy school

•Adult health and community services that meet needs of parents critical to parenting

•Adequate supports for vulnerable teenagers

Priority populationsPriority populations

• Indigenous children and families• Children/Families who experience a

Disability• Children living in chronic disadvantage

(Out of home care)• Children/Families who are recent

immigrants

VCAMSAIM: To monitor and report

on the safety, health, learning,development and wellbeing

of children and young people in Victoria

•System & indicator development•Data analysis for policy

and planning•Regular reporting

I nputs Products

Every Child Every ChanceEvery Child Every Chance

Audiences

Outcomes Framework

Victorian Child & Adolescent Monitoring System

Administrative Data

DHS,DET,DoJ,DVC,VicPolice

New CollectionsVCHWS, LocalLevel survey,

Aboriginal Child Survey, Adolescent

Survey, etc

NGO/Uni DataABS, Survey of Recent

Mothers, Vic Injury SurvevUnit, Victorian Community

Indicators Project, etc

Other CollectionsSchool Entrant Health

Questionnaire, Victorian Population Health Survey,

etc

Web BasedData Access

Annual Reports

Annual Reports

Community Profiles

Community Profiles

AboriginalCommunity

Profiles

AboriginalCommunity

Profiles

Topical Bulletins,Journal Articles, etc

Topical Bulletins,Journal Articles, etc

GovernmentStateLocal

National

OthersNGOs,

AdvocacyGroups, Other Interest groups

ResearchersUniversities

Community Experts

CommunitiesSchools, Child Care Providers, Health

Providers, etc

VCAMS ProductsVCAMS Products

• Annual report on Victoria’s children– All children and sub-

populations

• Released November 2006


Community Profiles• Demographic Profile• Breastfeeding rates• MCH participation• Immunisation• Kindergarten participation• Average absences from school• Reading levels• Child Protection• Asthma admissions• Gastroenteritis Admissions• Public housing retention rates


Aboriginal Community Profiles

Local Level Data• Population Profile• Low Birth weight• Teen Births• Immunisation• MCH participation• Kindergarten participation• Hospital separations• Child Protection• Reading levels

Key Components of VCAMSKey Components of VCAMS

• System DevelopmentIndicators,Platform

• Annual Data Collection ProgramSurveys

• Administrative DataAgreements, data linkage

150+ Indicators which:-

• Must be child centred• Ecological view of children• Socio-environmental view of

determinants• Help to understand inequality

Victorian Child and Adolescent Victorian Child and Adolescent Monitoring System - IndicatorsMonitoring System - Indicators

Suite of Indicators Suite of Indicators Selection CriteriaSelection Criteria

Policy Perspective• Understood by people who need to act• Relevant to policy and practice• Reflect results of actionsData Perspective• Measurable for diverse population• Feasible to collect and report• Comply with national processes of data

definitions

Suite of Indicators Suite of Indicators The EvidenceThe Evidence

• Review relevant literature for each indicator and its impact on children’s outcomes

• Consultation with experts in particular areas (eg dental health or educational benchmarks)

• Evidence base will be documented in a VCAMS Technical Report

Key Outcome-Key Outcome-Children Attend and Enjoy SchoolChildren Attend and Enjoy School

• Average rates of students attendance in primary and secondary school

• Data collected annually from Department of Education

• Students perception of connectedness with peers

• Data collected annually from Students Attitude Survey

• Level of parental satisfaction with schooling• Data collected annually from Parent Satisfaction Survey

Key Outcome-Key Outcome-Healthy Teeth and GumsHealthy Teeth and Gums

• Proportion of children whose teeth are decay free

• Data collected annually from Department of Dental Health Services Victoria

• Mean number of decayed, missing or filled teeth among children

• Data collected annually from Department of Dental Health Services Victoria

• Proportion of children who brush their teeth twice a day

• Data collected from The Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey

Key Outcome-Key Outcome-Free from Abuse and NeglectFree from Abuse and Neglect

• Rate of substantiated child abuse• Data collected annually from Department of Human

Services

• Rate of children on child protection orders• Data collected annually from Department of Human

Services

• Rate of children in out of home care• Data collected annually from Department of Human

Services• Children in Out of Home Care Survey (every 3-4 years)


• Analysis and Reporting• Undertake relevant analyses and develop timely

and useful reporting mechanisms

• Data Accessibility• Ensure data are available for appropriate policy,

planning and evaluation activities for all levels of government

• Enable data to be available for researchers through appropriate privacy procedures

Addressing the Data Gaps – Addressing the Data Gaps – BaselineBaseline

Victorian Child Health and Wellbeing Survey

• Population based families with a child (0-12 years of age)

• Telephone interviews with 14000 families • First survey completed - March 2006 • Repeated June 2007 for local data• Repeated every 2-3 years

Addressing the Data Gaps – Addressing the Data Gaps – BaselineBaseline

Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey• Population based (13-18 years of age)• Methodology to be determined • Survey instrument currently under

development• Survey in 2008?• Repeated every 3-4 years

Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Populations and Priority IssuesPopulations and Priority Issues

Children in Out of Home Care Survey• Targeted population – children 0-18 in out of home

care• Repeated every 3-4 years

Aboriginal Children’s Health and Wellbeing Survey

• Target population – Aboriginal families with children 0-18

• Repeated every 5 years

Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Addressing the Data Gaps with Priority Populations and Priority IssuesPopulations and Priority Issues

Children with a Disability survey• Target population – families with a child who

experiences a disability (0-18 years of age)• Repeated every 3-4 years

Children of Recent Immigrants survey• Target population – families with children 0-18 who

have recently immigrated to Australia• Repeated every 3-4 years


• Data Linkage program

•Maximise current databases through the use of data linkage in existing collections

•For example - Plan to link Perinatal Record for all children with the School Entrants Health Questionnaire

Driving Policy and Planning with Driving Policy and Planning with EvidenceEvidence

[email protected]

[email protected]

The Office for Children

Department of Human Services

Victoria

Australia

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Substantiations: Indigenous Substantiations: Indigenous and All Childrenand All Children

Rate of Child Protection Substantiations for Children Aged 0 to 14

55.2

61.9 61.166.0

7.2 7.0 7.0 7.2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

Rate

per

10

00

ch

ildre

n

Indigenous Children All Children

Source: DHS, CASIS; ABS P rojections of the Indigenous P opulation; ABS Estimated Resident P opulation

Rate of Indigenous child protection substantiations Rate of Indigenous child protection substantiations of children aged 0 to 8 yearsof children aged 0 to 8 years

7.0

5.3

12.8

6.2

10.1

9.7

5.0

6.1

5.7

86.8

94.4

129.8

51.4

71.0

105.3

54.0

60.7

54.5

0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0 120.0 140.0

Barwon-South Western

Eastern

Gippsland

Grampians

Hume

Loddon Mallee

Northern

Southern

Western

Rate per 1000 Children

Non-Indigenous Indigenous

(10 times)

(10 times)

(11 times)

(11 times)

(7 times)

(8 times)

(10 times)

(18 times)

(12 times)

Source: DHS, CASIS; ABS 2001 Experimental Estimates of the Indigenous Population

Rate of Indigenous child protection Rate of Indigenous child protection substantiations of children aged 0 to 8 substantiations of children aged 0 to 8 yearsyears

350.7

160.0

32.213.9

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

350.0

400.0

Latrobe (C) Victoria

Rate

per

1000 c

hildre

n

Indigenous children Non- Indigenous children

10.9 times

11.5 times

Source: DHS, CASIS; ABS 2001 Experimental Estimates of the Indigenous Population

Literacy Achievement Indigenous ChildrenLiteracy Achievement Indigenous ChildrenPrep Reading Scores Prep Reading Scores

64.2

69.2

72.3

74.6

78.6

79.3

80.4

81.3

81.8

82.8

85.4

85.7

94.0

100.0

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0

East Gippsland (S)

Greater Shepparton (C)

Hume (C)

Swan Hill (RC)

Moyne (S)*

Campaspe (S)

Mildura (RC)

Wyndham (C)

Frankston (C)

Greater Geelong (C)

Barwon South Western (5 LGAs)

Ballarat (C)

Greater Dandenong (C)

Maribyrnong (C)*

Percentage

Source: DET (School System Development Division)

*It should be noted that in Maribrynong and Moyne small numbers of children are involved (9 and 11 respectively), other LGAs presented have larger numbers of children

Literacy and numeracy in Years 3, 5 and 7 Literacy and numeracy in Years 3, 5 and 7 for Indigenous students for Indigenous students

69.2%

88.4%

75.6%

89.2%96.3% 92.6%

90.7%

80.4%

93.0%97.6% 95.4%

77.9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Level 1 (Prep) Level 5 (Year 1) Level 15 (Year 2)

Perc

enta

ge o

f Childre

n

Greater Shepparton (C) - Indigenous Children Greater Shepparton (C) - All Children

Victoria - Indigenous Children Victoria - All Children

Source: DET (School System Development Division)

Aboriginal childrenAboriginal children

12.7

6.67.5

3.4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Rate

s p

er

10

00

bir

ths

Stillbirths Neonatal deaths

I ndigenousNon-I ndigenous

Mortality rates for babies born to Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers 1998-2002

Aboriginal childrenAboriginal children

28.9%

18.5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Indigenous Non-Indigenous

46.8%

57.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Indigenous Non-Indigenous

HIGH NEED LOW ACCESS

Percentage of parents/guardians with concerns about their child’s teeth

Percentage of children reported as having attended a dentist in the past 1-2 years

Source: School Entry Health Questionnaire, Victoria, pooled data 1998-2004

Source: Perinatal Data Collection Unit

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Teen Births (age 15-19) per 1000 Population by LGA

347.8

294.1

250.0

224.5

104.7

57.5

0.0

0.0

0.0

Na

Na

Na

Na

Na

0.0 50.0 100.0 150.0 200.0 250.0 300.0 350.0 400.0

Swan Hill (RC)

Mildura (RC)

Barwon South Western (5 LGAs)

East Gippsland (S)

Greater Shepparton (C)

Greater Geelong (C)

Frankston (C)

Wyndham (C)

Maribyrnong (C)

Ballarat (C)

Greater Dandenong (C)

Hume (C)

Moyne (S)

Campaspe (S)

Rate per 1000 of population aged 15-19

"Na" refers to <5 births; an accuate rate cannot be calculated

Documents

Driving Policy and Planning with Evidence