June 2021 Digest - Australian Research Alliance for Children ...
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June 2021 Digest 1
Looking Ahead Australian Children and Young People’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub Sector adaptation and innovation shaped by COVID-19 and the latest evidence on COVID-19 and its impacts on children and young people A collaboration between ARACY and UNICEF Australia Introduction The Australian Children and Young People’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub is an initiative created by ARACY and UNICEF Australia to ensure that the impacts of COVID-19 on children in Australia are fully understood and communicated to decision makers at all levels. To do this, we will draw upon data from Australia and international comparators, the latest research and analysis of COVID-19 and its impacts on children and families, and related research with applicable lessons for the known and anticipated impacts of COVID-19 and their potential mitigation. Our Approach to Wellbeing The Australian Children and Young People’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub uses both ARACY’s The Nest child wellbeing framework and UNICEF’s Children’s Goals. The Nest looks at wellbeing as a series of six connected and interdependent domains. A child needs to be doing well in all six domains to thrive. Deprivation in one domain is likely to affect wellbeing in other domains. UNICEF’s Children’s Goals are derived from the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child and align with the domains of The Nest. Please visit the ARACY website for more information on The Nest and its uses in conceptualising child wellbeing, and the Australian Children and Young People’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub online library for summary content and future digests. Find out more about the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child here: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention 2
Looking Ahead 3
Looking Ahead
Issue 10: June 2021
This tenth release covers information and analysis released from May through to June 2021.
Throughout the pandemic in 2020 we have released new digests regularly, bringing together the
latest research and information to inform policy, practice, and decision-making.
We are delighted to again partner with UNICEF Australia to continue producing this digest
throughout 2021.
We will highlight the data sources available that assess the impact of COVID-19 on the wellbeing of
children and young people in Australia, and report on headline indicators. Each digest will take a
more in-depth focus on particular issues.
Key Issues
Key issues addressed in this issue include:
• The effects of exposure to toxic stress in the early years
• The impact of new COVID-19 variants on children and young people
• Young people in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector
If you would like to jump to information on a specific wellbeing domain, click one of the squares.
This report was prepared by Lauren Renshaw and Sadhana Seriamlu (ARACY).
4
Looking Ahead Harnessing the power of neuroscience to change lives This month Lori Rubenstein, lead advisor to ARACY’s Brain Builders Alliance, picks up the thread of toxic stress (see Loved and Safe) and gives a rundown of the importance of understanding brain development in children to design better policy and practice. It is an understatement to say that the 2020 convergence of fires, droughts, floods, and a pandemic tested all of us as well as the very systems meant to keep us safe. These multiple crises caused unrelenting stress for many children and families, stretched health and human services to near breaking point, and magnified existing socioeconomic inequalities. However, this cluster of catastrophic crises also unleashed incredible innovation, concern for others (friends, family members and strangers) and strengths that often go unnoticed. This may be why so many people are talking about “building back better” rather than “getting back to normal.” The challenge is immense, but so too is the scientific evidence we can use to improve population- level outcomes. We can use what we now know about brain development in the early years and across the life course, to build the capabilities of children and parents to chart pathways to health and social wellbeing. System transformation Achieving better outcomes for children, young people and their families will also require transforming our human development systems. Talking about systems is tricky business. In a recent article, the Frameworks Institute explained the conundrum at the heart of systems thinking. Moving from a focus on individual behaviours and choices - which can result in “blaming the victim” - to a focus on the conditions that determine opportunities and result in disparate outcomes seems like a step in the right direction. However, if the system is seen as all-powerful, intransigent and beyond control, a sort of fatalism - policy paralysis - can creep in. System change requires a careful balancing act. It is crucial that there is a broad awareness and acknowledgement that systems are powerful, but at the same time, an understanding that people create systems and therefore have the ability to change them, to use them to solve problems. Neuroscience provides a universal platform for building a coherent system of services and supports across all sectors – where to intervene, when and how. Whether the lens is education or health, human services or juvenile justice, using “brain science” to build capabilities will allow us to achieve results for children, young people and families, especially those living with entrenched disadvantage. There is a core set of protective factors that are strongly predictive of positive outcomes for young people: for example, secure attachment to parents and/or other primary caregivers; cognitive stimulation in the home; material wellbeing; and parental resources (ie, strong self-efficacy and adaptive coping). Conversely, there is a core set of stressors and circumstances that are consistently predictive of a wide range of adverse outcomes: for example, the stress of ongoing adversity and entrenched disadvantage; the absence of positive attachment; poor parenting; domestic violence; unsafe neighbourhoods and schools; and social isolation. 5
Looking Ahead
Six essential facts about brains
1. There is a set of brain-based capabilities that everyone needs to thrive - executive function
skills and self-efficacy, both of which are built over time, influenced by environments and
relationships. Executive function skills are a set of processes that act as the “command and
control” centre. They are responsible for guiding, directing, and managing the cognitive,
emotional, and behavioural functions that support purposeful, goal-directed, problem-solving
behaviour. Self-efficacy is the belief that you can do what is necessary to achieve your desired
goals.
2. Brains are built from the bottom up - strong foundations are essential. Brain building starts
before birth, makes rapid progress during the early years (neural connections forming at a rate
of 1 million per second), goes through significant remodelling during adolescence and
continues changing well into adulthood.
3. Cognitive, emotional, and social capacities are inextricably intertwined. Emotional well-being
and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and
together they are the bricks and mortar of brain architecture.
4. Genes and experiences work together to construct brain architecture. Genes provide the
blueprint but the experiences a child has in the early years, positive and negative, help shape
how the brain develops and this brain architecture lasts a lifetime.
5. Responsive caregiving makes all the difference. The single most important ingredient in brain
development is the quality and nature of relationships with parents and other key adults.
6. Non-responsiveness and toxic stress damage the developing brain and can lead to problems
in learning, behaviour and increased susceptibility to physical and mental illness over time.
Neuroscience is so powerful because it is non-partisan, non-sectoral, and relevant to all cultures,
communities, and life stages. It provides answers to the key questions that are at the heart of our
work, whether it is health, education, family support, justice or community development, thereby
helping us close the gap between what we know and what we do.
About Lori Rubenstein, Principal Adviser, ARACY
Lori is the leader of ARACY’s Brain Builders Alliance work, bringing more than 25 years’ experience of
providing strategic and policy advice to governments and NGOs in the United States, Australia, and
Singapore. Lori also has extensive teaching and training experience and has conducted social research
and evaluation in education, employment, health (including mental health and Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Health), housing, early intervention, juvenile justice, disabilities and family policy. Lori
has a focus on user-friendly systems and tools for measurement of outcomes, impact, social value and
the new forms of investment in social benefits.
6Every child thrives
Material Basics
and survives
This wellbeing domain represents children having their basic needs met. This includes a roof over
their heads, sufficient family access to income and access to basic goods such as food, clothes, toys
and technology. Given the economic crisis that is following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to
assess how these multiple crises have impacted children and young people.
Australian data sources
Much of the existing data on the availability of material basics for children and young people are
extrapolated from that collected at the population level. However, there is an increasing amount of
data collected on the short and potential long-term economic impacts of COVID-19 specifically on
young people and young adults, and surveys collected among these groups on their perspectives and
experiences over the last year. There is no data collected specifically on young children’s access to
material basics as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Anglicare rental affordability snapshot 2021 1
• ABS Labour Force Survey 2
• ABS Household Impacts of COVID-19 survey series 3
• ABS Weekly payroll data 4
• Australian institute of Criminology (AIC) – Domestic violence survey 5
• ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods - Financial Stress and Social Security Settings in
Australia [modelling project] 6
• ANUPoll COVID-19 series 7
• AIFS Life during COVID-19 Survey 8
• Burnet Institute/VicHealth Coping with COVID-19 study 9
• COVID-19 pandemic adjustment study 10,11,12
• DSS Payment Demographic data 13
• Equity Economics disadvantage forecast – A wave of disadvantage across NSW: Impact of the
COVID-19 recession14
• Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey 15
• Impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contact Kids Helpline 16,17
• Our Lives Longitudinal Study 18
• Melbourne Institute’s Taking the Pulse of the Nation survey 19
• Mission Australia Youth Survey 20
• VicHealth Coronavirus Victorian Wellbeing Impact Study – follow up survey 21
• The ACOSS/UNSW Poverty in Australia 2020 Report 22
• Twenty10 case study and survey 23
• SNAICC COVID-19 Ongoing Impacts Survey report 24
• UTS study – The experience of precarious housing among international students 25
• Survey of temporary migrants - As if we weren’t humans: The abandonment of temporary
migrants in Australia during COVID-19 26
• The 100 families WA Project 27
• University of Melbourne’s Hallmark Research Initiative – The Impact of COVID-19 on
Victorian share households 28
• YouthInsight survey series 29
• Youth Unemployment Monitor, Brotherhood St Laurence 30
7Every child thrives
Material Basics
and survives
Headline Indicators
• The unemployment rate for 15-19 year olds has dropped to 14.2% and 8.6% for 20-24 year
olds in April 2021. 31
• Total of 339, 800 underemployed persons (seasonally adjusted) aged 15-24 years in May
2021, compared with 407,900 (seasonally adjusted) in February 2020. 32
• As of March 2021, 113,830 young people aged 21-24 years were receiving the Jobseeker
payment and 98,715 people aged 16- 20 years were receiving Youth Allowance (not related
to studying or apprenticeships) 33
Links and resources
• Journal article – Use of Kids Helpline by Children and Young People in Australia During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
• Pursuit (University of Melbourne) article – Preventing a rebound in youth homelessness after
COVID-19
• Book chapter – Risking a new underclass: Young Australians, broken transitions, and the
pandemic
• NCVER report – What VET can offer to COVID-19 youth unemployment recovery
A focus on … youth employment
Data shows that youth employment, nationally, has improved since the lows observed in 2020. The
unemployment rate for young people, as of April 2021, is lower than rates in April 2019 (10.8% cf.
12.0% for persons aged 15-24 years) 34. Underemployment has also improved, with a total of 339, 800
underemployed persons (seasonally adjusted) aged 15-24 years in May 2021, compared with
407,900 (seasonally adjusted) in February 2020. 35
However, Australian Government Department of Social Services data shows that the number of
young people on social security payments has still not recovered since the pandemic. As of March
2021, 113,830 young people aged 21-24 years were receiving the Jobseeker payment and 98,715
people aged 16- 20 years were receiving Youth Allowance (not related to studying or
apprenticeship). 36
This is higher than the 68,567 young people aged 21-24 years receiving Jobseeker payments and
72,350 Youth allowance in March 2020 and 60,716 receiving Newstart Allowance and 65,572 Youth
allowance payments in December 2019. This data is a few months behind the ABS employment
statistics, so may be trending down over the preceding months.
What can we do to help?
Although the employment data shows positive trends, as outlined in the August digest, income
growth and employment for young people prior to the pandemic showed negative trends.
8Every child thrives
Material Basics
and survives
Therefore, the recommended responses outlined in ARACY’s Kids at the Crossroads report, which
summarises Digests released from June to November 2020, still retain relevance, particularly due to
the continuing reliance on a substantial number of young people on social security payments.
• Increase assistance to low-income families by permanently raising JobSeeker, Youth
Allowance and other welfare payments for families.
• Prioritise employment programs targeted at young people to improve their employment
prospects when the economy recovers, focusing on high quality and sustainable employment
that counters the negative effects of ‘the gig economy’, insecure work and
underemployment.
What does the future hold?
Employment trends for young people is an important indicator on the quality of the economic and
social recovery from the pandemic. There are several cascading effects on the ability of this cohort to
gain work, build skills and gain confidence in their role in the labour force.
Other risks and areas of expected impact:
Return to the Introduction
9Every child is protected from
Loved and Safe
violence and exploitation
A child needs to be loved and safe to grow, be free from violence and have social supports. The
COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the ability of children to be adequately protected through
reduced contact with friends and family, family conflict and violence, the reduced capacity of the
child protection system, and increases in bullying and social exclusion.
Australian data sources
Recent data sources within Australia have provided deeper insights into supports for families, family
violence, family relationships, relationships with friends and the changes in patterns of caring for
children. While the majority of data sources do not consult with children directly, a growing number
are seeking information directly from children. Available data sources include:
• Alannah and Madeline Foundation report – This Digital Home 37
• ABS Household Impacts of COVID-19 survey series 38
• Australian Childhood Foundation parent survey – A lasting legacy – The impact of COVID-19
on children and parents 39
• ANUPoll COVID-19 series 40
• Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) – Domestic violence survey 41,42,43
• AIHW Child Protection Data 44
• AIHW Specialist Homeless Services Collection 45
• AIFS Life during COVID-19 Survey 46
• AIFS Towards COVID Normal Survey 47
• CCYP consultation with children 48
• Children’s Health Queensland COVID-19 Unmasked Survey 49
• COVID-19 pandemic adjustment study 50,51,52
• Cross-sectional survey on maternity health services 53
• Drummond Street Services and Centre for Family Research and Evaluation – Assessing the
impact of COVID-19 on client needs & Drummond Street's response 54
• Equity Economics disadvantage forecast – A wave of disadvantage across NSW: Impact of the
COVID-19 recession55
• Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey 56
• Impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contact Kids Helpline 57,58
• Melbourne Institute’s Taking the Pulse of the Nation survey 59
• Monash University project - Gender-based violence and help-seeking behaviours during the
COVID-19 pandemic 60
• NSW BOCSAR reports 61,62
• Royal Children's Hospital Child Health Poll 63
• Relationships Australia survey – COVID-19 and its effects on relationships 64
• SNAICC Covid-19 Ongoing Impacts Survey report 65
• Triple P Parenting program statistics 66
• UNICEF 'Living in Limbo' project 67
• Youth Justice NSW and Youth Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network self-harm
incident data 68
10Every child is protected from
Loved and Safe
violence and exploitation
Headline Indicators
• Many grandparents surveyed found their regular patterns of care or contact with
grandchildren disrupted by COVID restrictions and felt disconnected and isolated from their
children and grandchildren. 14% of respondents with grandchildren aged under 13 years
provide child care daily or several times a week and another 16% provide child care about
once a week. 69
• Levels of subjective wellbeing for parents surveyed during the pandemic were considerably
lower than ratings prior to the pandemic. During the pandemic, lower subjective wellbeing
was significantly associated with 70:
o low education,
o government benefits,
o single parents,
o child with neurodevelopmental condition,
o parent physical/mental health problems,
o COVID-environmental stressors, and
o fear/worry about COVID-19.
Unexpectedly, parent engagement with news media about the pandemic was associated
with higher subjective wellbeing.
• Kids Helpline reported an increase of 99% in duty of care interventions 1 from December 2020
to 31 May 2021 compared with the same time period one year previously – with the
escalation mainly due to suicide attempts (38%) and child abuse (35%). 71
o The largest increase was observed in Victoria (184%) compared with New South
Wales (40%) and Queensland (46%).
• Analysis of NSW police data shows was no evidence of a spike in domestic assaults during the
period when the most socially restrictive orders were in place. The examination of domestic
episodes attended by police where no criminal incident was detected (predominantly verbal
arguments), shows significantly higher incident counts in the three months from April to June
2020 (even once pre-existing trends and seasonality are considered). Patterns returned to
pre-pandemic levels in the second half of 2020. The number of calls received by the NSW
Domestic Violence Line was higher throughout 2020 compared to the same month the
previous year, however the increase predates the implementation of COVID-19 related
restrictions. 72
Links and resources
• Journal articles
o Use of Kids Helpline by Children and Young People in Australia During the COVID-19
Pandemic
o Subjective wellbeing in parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
1
A duty of care intervention is an instance where Kids Helpline counsellors make contact with police, child
safety or ambulance services because a child or young person is deemed to be at imminent risk.
11Every child is protected from
Loved and Safe
violence and exploitation
• NSW BOCSAR report – Domestic violence in NSW in the wake of COVID-19: Update to
December 2020
• AIFS report – Report no. 1: Connection to family, friends and community
A focus on … exposure to toxic stress
COVID-19 related pressures and stressors on families and households has the potential to increase
‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ (ACEs) among young children, particularly during lockdown periods
last year. As defined by the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these can include the
following experiences in a young persons’ life 73:
• emotional, physical and/or sexual abuse
• household challenges including witnessing intimate partner violence, substance abuse of
mental illness in the household, parental separation or divorce, or having an incarcerated
household member
• emotional and/or physical neglect
Toxic stress is the result of the accumulation of ACEs in a person’s childhood, and is significantly
correlated with a variety of negative developmental outcomes. 74
Emerging evidence from a variety of sources show a that, particularly during the lockdown periods,
there were potential ACE related impacts, such as child safety, parent/carer mental health and
wellbeing, and family tension and dysfunction.
While NSW Police statistics did not see an increase in domestic violence assaults or murders during
the time period of April to December 2020, there was a surge in domestic violence-related episodes
attended by police where no criminal incident was detected from April to June 2020, though
numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels in the second half of the year. There was also a significant
increase in calls to the NSW Domestic Violence Line throughout the year. 75 This demonstrates an
increase in the level of household conflict among family members during the first lockdown period.
This aligns with survey data showing that overall, subjective wellbeing for parents and carers was
lower compared with pre-pandemic perceptions 76. Data from the HILDA and Taking the Pulse of the
Nation surveys showed that parents were particularly vulnerable to the mental health effects of the
pandemic:
Pre-COVID-19, fathers were a less vulnerable group with only 5% to 9% of them reporting high
levels of mental distress... With the COVID-19 pandemic, they are now the most distressed group:
25% of fathers whose youngest child is aged 0 to four and 33% of fathers whose youngest child is
aged five to 11 report high levels of mental distress. Among women, mothers used to have better
mental health than childless women; now they have lost that advantage. Overall, they are now
noticeably worse off than women without kids. Among mothers, mental distress has increased the
most (from 9% to 22%) for mothers of older children (youngest child aged 12 to 18).
Broadway, Mendez & Moschion, 2020, p.2 77
Child safety notifications dropped during the lockdown period, mainly due to the implementation of
remote learning (with school personnel the second most common source of notifications after
police). 78
12Every child is protected from
Loved and Safe
violence and exploitation
However, with the return of face-to-face teaching, AIHW observe:
A common pattern observed in most jurisdictions was a drop in notifications in April 2020 (during
the initial COVID-19 restrictions) followed by an increase in May or June (once restrictions had
eased). In 4 jurisdictions (NSW, Qld, SA and NT), this post-April increase saw higher numbers of
notifications than pre-COVID-19 levels (prior to March 2020). In 3 jurisdictions (Vic, WA and ACT),
the post-April 2020 increase in number of notifications was larger than the same period in 2019,
although the May/June 2020 numbers did not exceed pre-COVID levels.
AIHW, 2021, p.4 79
There was also a documented increase in reports of online child sexual exploitation.
During COVID-19, public tipoffs about online child sexual exploitation material more than
doubled— reports made by members of the public to the ACCCE increased by 122% as Australia
went into COVID-19 restrictions through April–June 2020. In the 2019–20 financial year, the
ACCCE Child Protection Triage Unit received more than 21,000 reports, an increase from more
than 14,000 reports in 2018–19, the ACCCE’s first year (ACCCE 2020b).
Each report may contain thousands of images of children being abused.
AIHW, 2021, p.6 80
Kids Helpline documented an increase of 99% in duty of care interventions from December 2020 to
31 May 2021 compared with the same time period one year previously – with over a third related to
child abuse. 2
What can we do to help?
Research has shown that toxic stress is particularly impactful among children in their early years,
with substantial long-term effects that follow babies and children into adulthood. 81 Investing and
supporting parents and families to be the best caregivers that they can be, to nurture and assist their
child to thrive, is the most cost-effective way to prevent these adverse outcomes.
Families in Australia, although faring less pandemic-related restrictions than other countries
worldwide, nonetheless were subjected to stressful and insecure situations that both exacerbated
existing stressors and pressures, and for some families resulted in unfamiliar financial, emotional and
mental duress. Therefore it is important that policy and service related responses both address the
negative impacts of the lockdowns in 2020, and prevent further disadvantage and ACEs experienced
by children and young people.
Experts support large-scale investment in the early years, such as early years home visiting services
and subsidised childcare, as vital in preventing and addressing toxic stress for infants and children in
the early years 82. ARACY is an official supporter of the Minderoo’s Thrive by Five campaign, which
advocates for the implementation of a universally accessible early learning and care system. ARACY is
also a partner in the Right@Home program, which provides nurse home visiting services to new
2
A duty of care intervention is an instance where Kids Helpline counsellors make contact with police, child
safety or ambulance services because a child or young person is deemed to be at imminent risk.
13Every child is protected from
Loved and Safe
violence and exploitation
parents in the vitally important early years. The program has been significantly associated to better
parenting and home environment outcomes 83.
ARACY’s Kids at the Crossroads report, which summarises digests released from June to November
2020, highlights important responses to child safety and parent/carer mental health and welfare
impacts, including:
• Enhance the child protection system to develop preventative approaches to ensure the
safety and wellbeing of children, by taking a holistic approach to wellbeing and implementing
a stronger prevention focus in the successor plan to the National Framework for Protecting
Australia’s Children.
• Build on improved funding and supports for children and their parents impacted by family
violence, and specifically consider the response to children who are affected by domestic and
family violence but do not meet child protection criteria or receive a child protection service.
• Support the mental health and wellbeing of new parents to ensure children are well
supported from the early years, as recommended by the Productivity Commission in their
Inquiry Report into Mental Health, June 2020.
What does the future hold?
Emerging evidence shows that the pandemic has resulted in situations and environments that are
conducive to ACEs. However, it is challenging to ascertain direct effects of the pandemic on ACEs,
and whether they have been experienced by children and young children to the extent they have
caused toxic stress. This will require ongoing monitoring and research, particularly among children
that were in the early years during 2020. The responses outline above may assist in mediating
negative effects experienced by families in 2020, and prevent further ACEs within households and
families.
Other risks and areas of expected impact
Return to the Introduction
14Every child survives
Healthy
and thrives
This wellbeing domain represents children being healthy, both physically and mentally. COVID-19 has
had a substantial impact on the health of all individuals affected, both directly and indirectly, by the
pandemic. This is no less true for children and young people in Australia. Furthermore, there are
indirect health impacts from COVID-19 that can be felt across a number of health domains.
Australian data sources
A growing number of data sources are examining the impact of COVID-19 on the health of children
and young people. While the focus is primarily on transmission and infection, as well as mental
health, studies are starting to examine the impact on other health areas such as physical activity and
diet, and maternal and infant health. Available data sources in Australia include:
• Australian Childhood Foundation parent survey – A lasting legacy – The impact of COVID-19
on children and parents 84
• AIFS Life during COVID-19 Survey 85
• AIHW Suicide & self-harm monitoring data 86
• ANUPoll COVID-19 series 87
• Burnet Institute/VicHealth Coping with COVID-19 study 88
• CCYP consultation with children 89
• CYDA’s 2020 COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and children and young people with disability survey 90
• Children’s Health Queensland COVID-19 Unmasked Survey 91
• COVID-19 pandemic adjustment study 92,93,94
• Cross-sectional survey on maternity health services 95
• Department of Health - COVID-19 cases by age group and sex 96
• Equity Economics disadvantage forecast – A wave of disadvantage across NSW: Impact of the
COVID-19 recession97
• Headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey 2020 98
• Global Drug Survey 99
• Impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contact Kids Helpline 100,101
• Optimise study 102
• Our Lives Longitudinal Study
• Queensland Health COVID-19 Unmasked survey 103
• Royal Children's Hospital Child Health Poll 104
• Sport Australia – AusPlay survey and Community Perceptions Monitor 105
• SNAICC Covid-19 Ongoing Impacts Survey report 106
• The 100 families WA Project 107
• Twenty10 case study survey 108
• UNSW self-report survey on adolescents 109
• University of Sydney modelling project – Road to recovery: Restoring Australia's mental
wealth110
• UNICEF 'Living in Limbo' project 111
• VicHealth Coronavirus Victorian Wellbeing Impact Study – follow up survey 112
• YouthInsight survey series 113
15Every child survives
Healthy
and thrives
Headline indicators
• During the initial COVID-19 response period (March to May 2020), there was a highly
significant, four-fold reduction in self-harming incidents recorded by both Youth Justice NSW
and Youth Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (compared with the
equivalent time period in 2019) (p < .00001). 114
• Kids Helpline reported an increase of 99% in duty of care interventions 3 from December 2020
to 31 May 2021 compared with the same time period one year previously – with the
escalation mainly due to suicide attempts (38%) and child abuse (35%) 115
o The largest increase was observed in Victoria (184%) compared with New South
Wales (40%) and Queensland (46%)
Links and resources
• News articles
o Vaccinating kids may help decide when Australia’s borders can reopen: PM
o Children with Covid: why are some countries seeing more cases – and deaths?
o Young people lining up in the NT's regions as the COVID-19 vaccine rollout hits a
milestone
o COVID Australia: Victorian lockdown sees youth suicide attempt rate soar, Kids
Helpline says (news.com.au)
o New Zealand's medical regulator gives provisional approval for Pfizer to be given to
12- to 15-year-olds
• The Conversation articles
o Children, teens and COVID vaccines: where is the evidence at, and when will kids in
Australia be eligible?
o Research now backs routinely offering pregnant women the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine
(theconversation.com)
• International research and data
o Watching Brief: The evolution and impact of COVID-19 variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1
and B.1.617
o Update to living systematic review on covid-19 in pregnancy | The BMJ
o Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons
(nejm.org)
• Journal article – Use of Kids Helpline by Children and Young People in Australia During the
COVID-19 Pandemic
3
A duty of care intervention is an instance where Kids Helpline counsellors make contact with police, child
safety or ambulance services because a child or young person is deemed to be at imminent risk.
16Every child survives
Healthy
and thrives
A focus on … the impact of new COVID-19 variants on children and young
people
COVID-19 continues to affect children and young people substantially less severely than older people
and adults, and the mortality rate continues to be low among younger age groups. However, some of
the variants have been shown to potentially have greater transmissibility among young people and
result in more severe health outcomes 116. It can be difficult to ascertain whether worse health
outcomes for young people are due to the disease itself, or pressures to the health system because
of the exponential growth in cases variants can drive. Issues with data reliability and accuracy can
further confound attempts to distinguish the variant type a discrete risk factor for young patients.
However, the UK variant (alpha) affected mainly younger and healthier patients in France. The
predominance of this variant in the US also coincided with increases in young people reporting to
hospital with COVID-19 117,118,119. There is also increasing evidence that the Brazilian variant (gamma)
was more transmissible and resulted in higher mortality among young people, although the highest
increase in cases were seen among adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s 120,121. There is also commentary
and emerging evidence surrounding the Indian variant (delta)’s role in the increase in paediatric
presentations in hospitals in India 122. A lack of sequencing capacity in some countries, increases in
total cases, and the disproportionate number of older people being vaccinated as opposed to
children and young people make it difficult to correlate observed increases in cases due to the
specific variant.
What can we do to help?
There is continued confidence in the efficacy of existing vaccines against recent COVID-19 variants,
although there is emerging evidence that the delta variant may be more resistant to existing
vaccines 123,124. However, the continued roll-out of the vaccine internationally and in Australia, will
ultimately moderate the effects of these strains and potentially protect children and young people
who to date have not been approved by national regulators to receive vaccines (with some
exceptions as reported below). Australia’s sequencing procedures and supporting database on
emerging strains will also support efforts to respond to outbreaks involving different variants.
As outlined in the April digest, children and young people have been shown to suffer substantial
long-term effects of COVID-19, even if asymptomatic during infection. 125 Longitudinal studies on
children and young people infected by COVID-19 variants (particularly in countries with a higher
numbers of cases) will provide insight into these strains’ impacts on their long-term health outcomes.
What does the future hold?
Regarding the vaccination of children and young people, there is increasing evidence to support the
safety and efficacy of vaccines among children and young people. 126 Canada’s national regulator
recently approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine for children aged 12-15 years 127, the United
States Food and Drug Administrator authorised the emergency use of this vaccine among this age-
group 128 and New Zealand’s regulator recently gave provisional approval for its use among 12-15
year olds 129. To date, Australia’s regulator has not approved any existing vaccine for use among
young people under the age of 16 years.
17Every child survives
Healthy
and thrives
The Northern Territory are the first and to date only jurisdiction in Australia to include young people
between the ages of 16-29 years in their vaccine program’s eligibility criteria. 130 However, the
discontinued use of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine among people 50-59 years 131,132 puts further pressure
on Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine supplies, meaning that it could be a longer wait for young age
groups in Australia to be eligible for the vaccine.
Continued international surveillance of strains of COVID-19 are vital in monitoring variants and their
impact. The nature of virus mutations means those that with higher transmissibility will make up a
large proportion of variants that Australia will see among international returnees as they gain
predominance in other countries. International sharing of research and data will support decisions by
Australian governments and health experts on the nature of the risk of different strains.
Other risks and areas of expected impact
Return to the Introduction
18Learning Every child learns
This wellbeing domain represents children having the opportunity to learn at home, at school, and in
the community. COVID-19 has affected children’s opportunities to learn in a number of ways, such as
through school closures and physical distancing measures.
Australian data sources
The majority of data sources have been produced to examine the potential impact of COVID-19 on
education from a systems-level perspective, and to collate the experiences from teachers and
parents. However, there are increasingly data and information collected directly from children and
young people.
• 2020 Report to the NSW Department of Education: Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on
NSW schools 133
• Australian Education Survey 134
• ANUPoll COVID-19 series 135
• Centre for Independent Studies - Parents’ perspectives on home-based learning in the covid-
19 pandemic 136
• COVID-19 and education: how Australian schools are responding and what happens next 137
• CCYP Victoria COVID consultations 138
• Equity Economics disadvantage forecast – A wave of disadvantage across NSW: Impact of the
COVID-19 recession 139
• Pivot Professional Learning survey 140
• QILT 2020 Student Experience Survey 141
• SNAICC Covid-19 Ongoing Impacts Survey report 142
• UNICEF 'Living in Limbo' project 143
• YouthInsight survey series 144
• Monash University Australian Schooling Survey 145
• Australian Council of State Schools Organisations Survey 146
• The Smith Family Survey: The impact on education of children living in poverty 147
• The Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2020 148
• National Student Outcomes Survey 2020 149
• Skills for Recovery: The Vocational Education System we need Post-COVID-19 Report 150
• 25 Years of LSAY: Research from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth 2020 151
• COVID-19 and Youth Employment 2020: CSI Response 152
• Employer Satisfaction Survey 2020 153
• TEQSA The Student Experience of Online Learning in Australian Higher Education during
COVID-19 154
• Where Next for Tertiary Education: 2020 PwC Report 155
• Export Income to Australia from International Education Activity Snapshot 156
• ABS Education and Work Survey May 2020 157
19Learning Every child learns
Headline indicators
• Up to 50% of university students surveyed reported of being unhappy with online learning
and said they didn’t wish to ever experience remote learning again 158.
• 58% of Australian teachers said their work-related stress had increased significantly between
May 2020 and April 2021 159.
• Council of International Students Australia found that about 93% of the 607 participants
surveyed have reported that their mental health was affected by studying online, with 9 out
of 10 students said they experienced stress, and more than two thirds reported self-
diagnosed anxiety or self-diagnosed depression 160.
Links and resources
• Research articles –
o Understanding fully online teaching in vocation education
o Good practice in VET teaching and learning – a guide to practitioner perspectives
o Innovations in teacher education at the time of COVID19: an Australian perspective
• International research -
o The use of e-Learning in vocational education and training
o An assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on job and skills demand using online job
vacancy data
o VET in a time of crisis: Building foundations for resilient vocational education and
training systems
• News articles –
o Pandemic reveals the costly flaws in our vocational education
o 5 charts on how COVID-19 is hitting Australia’s young adults hard
o Can’t learn to build a house online: Why vocational training is not ready for COVID-19
o Teachers are expected to put on a brave face and ignore their emotions. We need to
talk about it
o Victorian teachers struggle with workload, union calls for more support
o International students battle mental health issues while waiting to enter Australia
o TAFEs using outdated equipment and old methods due to red tape and
underfunding, critics say
o Australia's vocational education system faces further criticism as Government looks
to overhaul sector
A focus on … the impact of COVID-19 on young people in the Vocational
Education and Training (VET) Sector
Online learning is well entrenched in Australian education, including in the VET sector. While
Australia is part of the “first movers club” of nations dealing with and responding successfully to the
COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to recognise that Australia must continue to have the skills and
innovation infrastructure to support the recovery of the economy as we navigate, rely on and live in
20Learning Every child learns
a digital-rich ecosystem 161. Human capabilities, particularly those developed through vocational
education and training, will be more critical and should be prioritised in this endeavour as students
are required to demonstrate they are competent in skills that can be transferred directly to the
workplace.
As we enter new phases of readjustment, it is critical to keep in mind that the Australian tertiary
education sector generates almost $30 billion, with $6.1 billion generated from the VET institutions
alone, making it the nation’s third largest export 162. For example, in a survey conducted by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics mid-last year, 88% of young people (15-24 years) surveyed reported
that they were doing at least some work or study, or a combination of both, but also saw an increase
in the proportion of young people who were not engaged in any employment or study in 2020 (12%
compared with 8% in 2019) 163.
Furthermore, figures show employer satisfaction with training has fallen by nearly 10% between July
2019 and November 2020 164. These figures bolster the narrative that the sector is currently not ready
and equipped for this pedagogical shift, solely because of the nature of VET programs – underpinned
by a competency-based training system 165,166,167.
While industry experts recognise that the VET sector will need to be prepared for a post-COVID world
where vocational programs operate in a digitally rich environment, the scope of funding is
questioned168. For example, the Skills for Recovery report by the Mitchell Institute identifies several
aspects of the VET system in Australia that make it challenging for young people 169:
• Lack of government control in the funding structure as VET funding is set by state/territory
and Commonwealth governments – which mean each one can apply different subsidy rates
• Conflict in the role industry should play in shaping policy and funding objectives – both at the
macro (national strategy) and micro (course content) level
• VET has never achieved a national system – the level of investment varies greatly from one
jurisdiction to another, and growing disparities that emerge over time
In addition, an international study unpacked some of the reasons that the VET sector may not be
suitable for the online learning scene. This includes 170,171:
• Students not having access to internet and devices
• Technical, didactic, and organisational challenges in the design and implementation of
learning opportunities
• Additional costs/investment in quality of the products for appropriate and effective learning
• Challenges in defining the criteria for assessing virtual proficiency
These are backed by real-life scenarios 172:
“In the welding field for instance, the equipment used have advanced tremendously that we
have to now set up in-house training facilities and teach them the additional requirements
needed. It would take us another 12 months minimum to get them up to scratch”.
Geoff Crittenden, Chief Executive of Weld Australia
21Learning Every child learns
“Apprentices battle to read and write when they come to us, let alone do the maths. We have
to do a lot more training in-house to get them to where we want them.
If we have to teach them the basics all over again, that just makes our job so hard”.
Graeme Elphinstone, businessman
Although recent evidence suggests that there was generally a lot of positiveness and appreciation by
young people and educators/trainers of the effort undertaken to enable students to continue with
their studies online instead of having to pause their study, the achievements are offset by the
challenges 173.
A surprising outcome was students reporting that they had much more difficulty managing their own
time, workload and having to rectify IT issues than if they were studying face-to-face on campus,
which contributed to between 33% and 50% of students being unhappy with online learning 174. The
feelings of isolation and lack of interaction with peers in the online environment is believed to have
contributed to this sense that they were on their own in managing their studies 175,176.
As we navigate these unprecedented challenges through trial and error and continuous
improvement, the recovery from COVID-19 will present a significant opportunity for the tertiary
education sector to support the reskilling of young Australians.
What can we do to help?
Many parts of the VET system are still flourishing 177. There is a clear need to build on the sector’s
strengths and successes, while eliminating the practices that have posed the greatest threats to the
quality of learning students receive. While this takes a holistic and collaborative approach across
multiple players and actors, it requires policymakers to recognise the significance of VET
contributions to the economy and create policy settings that reward and grow that value.
The Mitchell Institute recommends the following:
• Establish a clear point of policy direction and leadership for the VET sector, in a way that
mobilises and empowers all stakeholders to deliver on a shared purpose
• Create a simpler, fairer national funding arrangement between the Commonwealth and state
and territory governments which positions student needs and equity objectives as central,
through a ‘baseline plus loadings’ approach, and a workable model for student loans
• Rethink assessment to ensure confidence and trust in the skills and competencies attained.
Explore more independent assessment (partnering within industry and professional bodies),
moderated assessment (through a government entity) and including more information on
levels of proficiency for higher-level VET qualifications
• Capitalise on the momentum from the crisis, and the appetite for reform, to reshape VET in
Australia
22Learning Every child learns What does the future hold? The COVID-19 pandemic has driven innovation and overnight changes in how government, education institutions, businesses and citizens operate – leveraging the power of modern digital technologies. The sector has shown its ability to mobilise in the face of COVID-19, stabilising operations and shifting its students to remote learning. The next step is to develop tactical responses to strengthen financial positions and longer-term strategic responses to emerge stronger in the post-crisis economy. Other risks and areas of expected impact Return to the Introduction 23
Every child survives
Participating
and thrives
This wellbeing domain represents the opportunity children and young people have to participate in
their society and have a say on issues that affect them. This is no less important in the COVID-19
context.
Australian data sources
There is a small but growing list of data sources available to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on the
opportunity for children and young people to participate in society. This includes:
• ANUPoll COVID-19 series 178
• AIFS Life during COVID-19 Survey 179
• Our Lives Longitudinal Study 180
• Missing: Young People in Australian News Media 181
• Mission Australia Youth Survey 182
• SNAICC Covid-19 Ongoing Impacts Survey report 183
• UNICEF 'Living in Limbo' project 184
• YouthInsight survey series 185
• Relationships Australia survey – cyberbullying in Australia 186
• Roy Morgan TikTok Usage Survey 187
• eSafety Commissioner Youth Digital Participation Survey 2020 188
• Australian Competition & Consumer Commission Cyberbullying Report 189
• Australian Youth Safety Survey 2020 – Technical Report 190
• AIHW Australia’s Children 2020 Report 191
• AIFS Online Safety Resource Sheet 192
• Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation 2020 Report 193
• Digital Lives of Teens 2021 Report 194
• Building Australia’s Digital Future in a Post-COVID World 2020 195
• Growing Up Digital Australia: 2020 Technical Report 196
• Digital Consumer Trends 2020: Unlocking Lockdown 197
• Online Child Sexual Exploitation 2020 Survey 198
Headline indicators
• Between July 2019 and June 2020, 21,000 reports of child exploitation were made to the
AFP 199.
• The national counselling service Kids Helpline's website page on "respect in relationships" for
19-25-year-olds received 11,552 page views in 2020, and "bullying" at 314,037, with the
number of interventions rising by 48% 200.
• Sydney private school, Kambala received more than 3,700 testimonies of sexual harassment
and assault in 2020 and is ongoing 201.
• Around 100 students from Adelaide High School have protested against sexist incidents,
including the circulation and sale of nude photos online 202
24Every child survives
Participating
and thrives
Links and resources
• Research articles –
o Now is the time moment to listen to young people
o Protective behaviours education
o Children and young people’s rights in the digital age: An emerging agenda
o The impact of COVID-19 on the risk of online child sexual exploitation and the
implications for child protection and policing
o Sexuality education delivery in Australian regional secondary schools: A qualitative
case study
o Responsibilities, tensions and ways forward: parents’ perspectives on children’s
sexuality education
o Sexuality education in Australian secondary schools: Results of the first national
survey of Australian secondary teachers of sexuality education
• International research -
o Will the World Ever Be the Same After COVID-19? Two Lessons from the First Global
Crisis of a Digital Age
o Consent Procedures and Participation Rates in School-Based Intervention and
Prevention Research
o ‘It’s never okay to say no to teachers’: Children’s research consent and dissent in
conforming schools contexts
• News articles –
o Surge in teens seeking online help over sexting, cyberbullying during COVID
lockdown
o Consent isn't as simple as 'no means no'. Here's what you need to know.
o Parents in the dark as child predators evolve, online exploitation soars
o ‘No means no’ is not enough: What are we teaching young people about sexual
consent?
o Respect in relationships top reason young people seek self-help online, new data
reveals
o Why Teaching Consent in Schools Matters
o Australian curriculum looking at expanding consent education
o Consent education to become mandatory in Victorian state schools
o Sexual consent education direction for schools, universities on the rise following
media attention
• Media release –
o Education leaders to strengthen consent support
A focus on … the importance of consent in the digital age
While it is important to recognise that the internet has played a vital role in creating a support
mechanism for young people to share their voice and experiences, gather and share news sources
and establish a form of social connectedness in the midst of a global crisis 203,204, there is also no
25Every child survives
Participating
and thrives
doubt that elements of it are problematic, as teens continue to deal with negative online experiences
including unwanted contact, cyberbullying and harassment 205.
For example, the Digital Lives of Aussie Teens report that compared pre-pandemic to present young
Australians online attitudes and experiences found that while teens are proactively taking some form
of action after a negative online experience whether that is managing it themselves, or seeking
external help, a large percentage of teens continue to ignore potentially harmful experiences or
believe nothing will change. The report found that 206:
• 44% of teens had a negative online experience in the six months to November 2020
• 30% of young Australians were being contacted by a stranger or someone they didn’t know
and 20% receiving inappropriate or unwanted content
• An estimated 17% of young multiplayer gamers have experienced in-game bullying
The Australian edition of the Digital Consumer Trends 2020: Unlocking lockdown report
demonstrates how young Australians’ investment in devices is bucking the trend, confirming just
how integral technology is to their lives 207 despite the plunge in Australia’s economy. While
appreciating the need for children and young people craving for connection and friendship, it is
crucial to note that the online landscape can also be dangerous, given the emergence in “catfishing”
behaviours 208.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation highlighted that more than 21,000 reports of
child exploitations were received in 2020, with the Australian Federal Police charging a total of 191
people with 1847 alleged child abuse-related offences in 2020 209. Furthermore, new figures from Kids
Helpline indicate that “respect in relationships” was the top reason young adults were seeking help
online and the second most sought-after topic for teenagers last year 210.
These statistics and studies clearly indicate the need for sophisticated consent education as it is not
as simple as saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but extends beyond a sexual lens. The Royal Commission into
Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse emphasises the importance of instilling the confidence
and normalising the practice of saying ‘no’ or ‘yes’, so young children and teenagers know the
importance of asking/seeking consent 211.
A recent study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education suggests that many young people are
not learning how to form healthy relationships – in part, because adults aren’t talking to them about
the deeper forms of human relations, which doesn’t give them the opportunity to learn how to listen
to themselves and how to identify and respect other people’s verbal, physical and emotional cues 212.
The concerns around consent education in the Australian schooling system are captured well across
different sectors 213,214:
“Young people really want to know where the line is drawn between respectful and disrespectful
relationships. More broadly, there’s an assumption that consent is that you just keep going until
you get a no, but it actually needs to be something that is sought out”.
National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN), 2021
““At present though, each state and territory defines consent differently as it is generally
understood to be free and voluntary agreement. We need education that teaches about an
affirmative or positive model of consent which essentially goes a step beyond ordinary consent”.
Nicola Henry, RMIT Associate Professor
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