Prof. Fiona Stanley AC
Australian of the Year
2003.
Professor Stanley is a vocal advocate for the needs of children and their families.
Professor Stanley is the founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, established in Perth in 1990. The Institute is multi-disciplinary and researches prevention of major childhood illnesses. It currently has more than 400 staff and students. She is a Professor in the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Western Australia.
Professor Stanley is also the Executive Director and Chairperson of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, a national collaboration of researchers, policy makers and practitioners from a broad range of disciplines who are committed to building a better future for Australia's children and young people.
In 2004, Professor Stanley was honoured as an 'Australian Living Treasure' by the National Trust. She is the UNICEF Australian Ambassador for Early Childhood Development.
Child Welfare & Child Care
What does it say about how we value children in our society when often their carers are paid less than parking attendants who look after cars?
The evidence is very clear that what happens in childhood can have a profound impact on how that individual develops into adulthood. Surely then, early childhood warrants significant investment and attention? And that attention cannot be solely the responsibility of their immediate families, but the whole community.
So why isn’t that happening and what’s the impact on our children and indeed the nation’s future? Let’s start with our concerns over what’s happening with Australia’s children. Many researchers like me are alarmed at how many key indicators for child wellbeing have worsened over the past 30 years despite increases in our nation’s wealth and technology.
While we have managed to reduce some deaths in infancy and a range of infectious diseases, we’re seeing worrying increases in problems where the causes are much more complex and difficult to treat. The one that most grabs the headlines is the epidemic in childhood obesity. That’s not caused by a bug but a complex mix of genetics, social and environmental factors. We’re also seeing rises in developmental disorders such as autism and increases in clinically significant behavioural and mental health problems. Most disturbingly there are more and more cases reported of child abuse and neglect.
The recent Report Card on the Wellbeing of Young Australians from the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), which I Chair, painted a most concerning picture. It showed that Australia lags behind most other developed nations in a range of areas.
For example, Australian children were three times as likely to live in poverty as children in Finland and 12 times as likely to live in a jobless household as those in Japan. Australia ranks 20th out of 27 nations for infant mortality. Teenage pregnancy rates are much higher than the OECD average.
Australia is weak in measures of family relationships, ranking 21st out of 27 nations in terms of children eating a meal with their parents, and 18th in parents spending time talking with their children.
What the ARACY Card tells us is that many other nations are doing much better for their children – and surely this is not an area in which Australia is prepared to be towards the back of the field?
How did the welfare of our children fall become anything less than a national priority? The Good Childhood Inquiry report that’s just been released in the UK sounds some warning bells on why this might be happening.
It flatly asserts that most of the obstacles children face today are linked to the belief among adults that the prime duty of the individual is to make the most of their own life, rather than contribute to the good of others. It blames that focus on excessive individualism for a range of problems for children from the rise in family breakdowns to the commercial pressures towards premature sexualisation, and the acceptance of child poverty.
Clearly some degree of individualism is necessary, but we must work towards getting a better balance. In Australia I see it particularly in the workplace where there is little recognition of parents other role, especially as the pressure for longer working hours has increased. We also see it in neighbourhoods where young families often feel isolated rather than supported by their community. The fact that Australia is still debating over the value of paid parental leave also reflects a lack of priority for the needs of family.
As a mother who worked when her children were young, I am not one to advocate anything other than that women should be supported in their choice to work or to stay at home. The bottom line is our economy depends on the participation of many working women, therefore as a society we need to ensure there is adequate help and resources for families as mothers take up these other roles.
In my mind we need a cultural shift in Australia where we make the welfare of our children everyone’s business. The African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child” is as true today as ever.
So where does child care fit into all this? There is no doubt in my mind that good quality child care can be a positive for children and their parents. For children with disadvantaged home environments it is even more important. Good child care will provide enriched learning environments, but most importantly, caring adults and a secure routine.
But because good child care is so important, it cannot be treated as a usual commodity or business. While I understand the need for centres to be viable and secure, what is most important are the values and culture of each centre and its commitment to the holistic care for those children.
Surely then we must ensure excellent training and support so that they can nurture these wonderful young children in their time of most rapid development. We must also lift the respect given to this profession, and that includes appropriate remuneration. While most carers are certainly not in it for the money, if we want to retain them and raise their standing in the community then training and remuneration are most certainly important issues.
People who work with young children are THE most important people in our society, next to parents. The future of our nation is literally in their hands. We now have to alert Australia that too many of our children are at real risk of not reaching their potential and what a loss that will be to us all.
I would like to see a reporting system where every decision by government and business is assessed for its impact on children and families. We do it for the environment, so now let’s ensure that our nation’s most important resource – its children – get an equal level of concern.
This is the first in a series of articles Professor Stanley will be writing exclusively for CareforKids.com.au this year.
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