Reports
The BetterStart group are well published across different mediums.
We publish academic papers in peer-reviewed literature but we also have a very strong interest in authoring reports for government and non-government organisations which can help with translating research for health services and policy.
This report summarises a project undertaken by BetterStart for the Data Catalyst Network and the Early Years Working Group. This project is an example of how de-identified linked government data can be used to generate evidence to support informed decisions around investment in early life child and family supports. While early life disadvantage is not deterministic of later poor outcomes, the case for investment in effective and supportive responses for children and families to support better school transitions is clear.
The South Australian Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education & Care requested that Associate Professor Rhiannon Pilkington and Professor John Lynch appear as witnesses to explore how over a decade of BetterStart research using the BEBOLD platform could support the South Australian government's plan to reduce developmental vulnerability at school entry.
- Witness statement Royal Commission Early Childhood Education and Care
- Witness statement Royal Commission Early Childhood Education and Care-The North
- View transcript: Dr Rhiannon Pilkington - Wednesday, 25 January 2023
- View transcript: Professor John Lynch - Monday, 22 May 2023
Royal commission public hearings
This report includes analysis BetterStart was contracted to undertake by April Lawrie, Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People.
We conducted analysis of child protection contact patterns in South Australia to inform the Inquiry into the application of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.
- BetterStart Report - Analysis of child protection contact patterns
- Commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people's Holding on to Our Future Report
The South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance engaged BetterStart to provide baseline prevalence estimates for a range of outcomes related to service use and welfare for three potential social impact investment target groups in South Australia.
- Eligibility for a Reunification Program (families)
- Eligibility for a Preservation Program (families)
- Eligibility for a Care Leavers Program (children)
BetterStart are working closely with Youth Justice, Department of Human Services, to better understand young people's pathways through the justice system. We are able to publicly share the following reports:
The objective was to examine the overlap between the Youth Justice (YJ) and the Child Protection (CP) systems, and describe selected characteristics of children and young people who have YJ and CP system involvement.
The objective was to describe young people's (aged 10-17 years) involvement with the Youth Justice (YJ) system in South Australia.
Victoria State Government-Families, Fairness and Housing 'Using data to inform child protection'.
Victorian Department of Health and Human Services Centre for Evaluation and Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
30 October 2019
Prof John Lynch and Dr Rhiannon Pilkington
Research Series
- Research Series 1: Five by Five - A supporting systems framework for Child Health and Development
- Research Series 2: The South Australian Early Childhood Health and Development Project
- Research Series 3: Can linked data help to better target family support programs for child health and development?
- Research Series 4: The South Australian Early Childhood Data Project
- Research Series 5: Child Protection in South Australia
Previous reports
- Monitoring framework for South Australia's children and youth
- Characteristics of boys and girls who are emotionally vulnerable
- Television marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children in Australia: a review of published evidence
- Smithers LG, Sawyer ACP, Chittleborough CR, Davies NM, Davey Smith G, Lynch JW. A systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of early life non-cognitive skills on academic, psychosocial, cognitive and health outcomes. Nature Human Behaviour. Published online 05 November 2018. Paper available here. The Excel set of spreadsheets containing the data used in the following systematic review is available here.