BACKGROUND: Chronically ill children are at increased risk of poor learning outcomes. Knowledge of the predictors of learning outcomes for this group of people is important to inform the development of education supports that stand the best chance of being effective. This study explored the child, family, and school risk and protective factors during the child's transition to elementary school (aged 6-7 years) that were associated with learning outcomes when children were aged 10-11 years for both children with and without a chronic illness. METHODS: Data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used. Predictor variables were entered into separate multivariate regression models for children with and without a chronic illness. RESULTS: The strongest predictors of learning outcomes were the child's approach to learning, a consistent parenting style, and family socioeconomic position and were common for both children with and without a chronic illness but strongest for children with a chronic illness. CONCLUSION: A child's approach to learning and a consistent parenting style during the period of the child's transition to elementary school are important and potentially modifiable factors that are predictive of academic performance in later childhood. These factors are particularly relevant for children with a chronic illness, their parents/caregivers, teachers both hospital and school based, and pediatricians and can be used to inform interventions.
Tony Barnett, Rebecca Giallo, Margaret Kelaher et al.
BACKGROUND: This systematic review examined the effectiveness of experiential learning interventions for improving children's physical activity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. It also aimed to identify intervention characteristics that resulted in the greatest impact. METHODS: Four databases: Education Research Complete, Scopus, Web of Science and PsychINFO were searched from database inception to January 2023. Eligible studies: (1) included children 0-12 years; (2) assessed the effect of physical activity outcomes on children's physical activity knowledge, attitudes or behaviour and (3) were randomised controlled trials conducted in any setting. Study risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Intervention approaches were categorised, and effect sizes were compared across studies for each outcome. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included in the review: ten in school age and two in below five years. For behavioural outcomes, six of eight studies showed medium to large effects (effects size (ES) range: 0.3-0.9), two of the three studies that assessed attitudinal outcomes displayed medium effects (ES range: 0.4-0.5) and both studies that assessed knowledge outcomes displayed medium to large effects (ES range: 0.4-1.3). The two experiential learning interventions among children < 5 years demonstrated small to medium effects on behaviour change (ES range: 0.2-0.5). Effective interventions combined enjoyable practical activities (fitness activities, games and challenges), with behaviour change techniques (goal setting, and self-monitoring), were underpinned by a behaviour change theory, and were often of short duration (< 4 months) but intense (several sessions/week). Moderate to high statistical heterogeneity was observed for behaviour outcomes and risk of bias across studies was generally high. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides some evidence supporting the effectiveness of experiential learning interventions in improving physical activity outcomes in school-aged children. Additional evidence is needed in children <5 years old. Future experiential learning interventions need to strengthen the evidence with rigorous methodological quality and clear reporting of the experiential learning components.
Sumantla D. Varman, Rachel A. Jones, Bridget Kelly et al.
Many children start school developmentally vulnerable and struggle to keep up with their peers. Children experiencing socioeconomic-disadvantage are at higher risk of poor developmental outcomes. A high-quality education and wrap-around community-service model, such as the Doveton Model, at Doveton College, Australia, may improve outcomes for families experiencing entrenched disadvantage. This study focussed on the effect of this model on early-learning (pre-formal schooling) for school entry readiness and academic achievement over the subsequent four years. Students who did/did not attend the Doveton Model Early-Learning-Centre were compared using standard reading, oral-language, writing and numeracy tests from school-entry to Year 3. There was a trend towards higher academic achievement for students who attended Doveton early-learning compared to students who had not. Many tests showed statistically significant differences, despite low sample sizes. This study provides preliminary evidence that attending early-learning within a high-quality, wrap-around service model may have significant academic benefits for disadvantaged children.
Shannon Newman, June McLoughlin, Helen Skouteris et al.
BACKGROUND: Academic difficulties are common in adolescents with mental health problems. Although earlier childhood emotional problems, characterised by heightened anxiety and depressive symptoms are common forerunners to adolescent mental health problems, the degree to which mental health problems in childhood may contribute independently to academic difficulties has been little explored. METHODS: Data were drawn from a prospective cohort study of students in Melbourne, Australia (N = 1239). Data were linked with a standardised national assessment of academic performance at baseline (9 years) and wave three (11 years). Depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline and wave two (10 years). Regression analyses estimated the association between emotional problems (9 and/or 10 years) and academic performance at 11 years, adjusting for baseline academic performance, sex, age and socioeconomic status, and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. RESULTS: Students with depressive symptoms at 9 years of age had lost nearly 4 months of numeracy learning two years later after controlling for baseline academic performance and confounders. Results were similar for anxiety symptoms. Regardless of when depressive symptoms occurred there were consistent associations with poorer numeracy performance at 11 years. The association of depressive symptoms with reading performance was weaker than for numeracy if they were present at wave two. Persistent anxiety symptoms across two waves led to nearly a 4 month loss of numeracy learning at 11 years, but the difference was not meaningful for reading. Findings were similar when including hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood anxiety and depression are not only forerunners of later mental health problems but predict academic achievement. Partnerships between education and health systems have the potential to not only improve childhood emotional problems but also improve learning.
Lisa K. Mundy, Louise D. Canterford, Margarita Moreno‐Betancur et al.
The time children spend in nature has severely decreased. While nature-based learning at school is considered an important strategy in addressing this, numerous knowledge gaps continue to remain. To address these, a systematic review was undertaken. Nine commonly used health and education databases were searched from inception to January 2019. To be included, study participants were required to be children aged 4 to 12 without health or developmental conditions with a focus on nature-based learning. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed, followed by a descriptive synthesis. Out of 4703 results, 20 quantitative studies were included. There was a lack of universal definition of nature-based learning. This resulted in heterogeneity in how interventions were delivered, and outcomes measured. Overall, nature-based learning had varying levels of positive impacts across a range of outcomes. Despite these positive findings, the evidence base is constrained by some methodological issues.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1921117 .
Nicole C. Miller, Saravana Kumar, Karma L. Pearce et al.
Children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia have a right, established in policy and State-based legislation, to participate in decisions that impact their day-to-day lives. Despite many positive impacts of participation, there is substantial evidence that children are inconsistently engaged in participatory practices. The risks of re-traumatising children who are likely to have already experienced considerable trauma is a persistent concern in OOHC practice. The dominance of a risk-aversive approach in child protection systems is well established; however, there is little research exploring how caseworker understandings of risk may influence children’s opportunities for participation. To better understand how risk constructions influence participation, seven in-depth interviews were conducted with OOHC caseworkers in the Australian Capital Territory. Through thematic analysis of interviews, findings reveal that destabilising a child’s placement or their physical and emotional wellbeing were viewed as central risks arising from participation. When caseworkers identified concerns about instability, they would often exclude or delay participatory practices to mitigate these perceived risks. This study provides insight into the nuanced considerations of participatory practice with children in OOHC and explores how critically reflexive interpretations of risk and trauma may be effective in strengthening children’s participation.IMPLICATIONSDespite agreement that child participatory practice is essential in out-of-home care (OOHC), findings from this study suggest participation is inconsistent especially for multiply traumatised children.Frontline OOHC caseworkers consider risks to placement stability and children’s physical and emotional wellbeing in determining whether to delay information sharing, include or exclude children from participatory practices.Organisations need to adopt a systemic approach to participation and proactively centre partnerships between children and caseworkers.
The paper is part of a collaborative research organized by the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (AIMJF/IAYFJM) on child participation in family and protection matters. The article explains the legal, institutional and procedural aspects of child participation in the Justice System in New Zealand.
Abstract There is a broad consensus that unregulated use of social media causes harm to children. With the advent of digital platforms, social media reach is quickly evolving, and there is no escaping the incessant need to be online. As the threat of harms caused by social media has gained regulatory attention, taking effect from 10 December 2025, the Australian government banned the use of social media for children under 16 years of age through the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. This ban formalized a shift to access-based systemic duty from the erstwhile content-based regulation prevalent across the world. Seemingly extreme, this blanket ban is a primary foray into making the online world a safe place, especially for Australian children. This complication is of concern because the blanket ban has received criticism from not only the industry but also researchers and academics. This article provides a statutory review of online safety provisions and demonstrates that this age-based restriction is not an ad hoc measure but a logical culmination of a decade of legislative development. Contrary to regulatory fragmentation, the series of legislation adopted since 2015 facilitates the transition from voluntary guidelines to heavy civil liability. This is accomplished through the incorporation of continuity of office for the Commissioner and a streamlined penalty system. This statutory framework serves as a template for international efforts geared towards a systems-based approach that acknowledges the need for social media service providers to continually strive towards making their platforms as safe as possible. An overarching digital duty of care ought to replace reactive measures that address abuse only after it has occurred, as they fail to address the root cause. The proposed digital duty of care is placed on the online service providers who operate at an advantage vis-à-vis the end-users reporting harm.
Introduction Ensuring the safety of children and adolescents who have experienced trauma is a paramount consideration in therapeutic practices, yet research specifically addressing this within music therapy is lacking. To bridge this gap, the authors aimed to use semi-structured interviews to investigate how experienced music therapists from diverse cultural backgrounds describe providing safety while working with children and adolescents who experienced trauma.Method This research employed hermeneutic phenomenology to analyze the perspectives of 18 music therapists representing 11 countries. Their descriptions of cultivating safety and establishing secure environments were shared via online interviews and techniques from Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) were used to generate results.Results Analysis of the interviews revealed four prominent themes delineating the techniques music therapists use in their sessions to foster safety. These themes encompassed various aspects such as establishing a safe space, implementing a semi-structured program, providing opportunities for control and choice, and thoughtfully incorporating music. Collectively, these themes illuminate the approaches music therapists effectively deploy to create safety in their therapeutic sessions.Discussion The experienced music therapists in this study underscored the importance of attuning to the needs of children and adolescents who have experienced adversity. Newer practitioners may be interested in the ways they described maintaining a delicate balance between openness, flexibility, well-defined boundaries, and a reliable, caring presence. These fundamental elements support the development of safe connections and meaningful engagement, potentially fostering a sense of safety for both therapists and the young people they work with.
Hsin-I Cindy Lai, Grace Anne Thompson, Katrina Skewes McFerran
In December 2024, Australia rewrote the rules of growing up. Children under sixteen may learn to drive, open a bank account, and even face criminal charges—yet the Australian Government considers them too young to scroll through Instagram or send a Snapchat. With the enactment of the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, Australia became the first country to introduce an outright ban on social media access for those under sixteen. This bold legislative move has attracted global attention, with several countries reportedly considering similar measures. Through a critical analysis of Australia’s social media ban, this article provides global policymakers with key insights into its design and implications. While well intentioned, the law raises serious human rights concerns, particularly in relation to children’s freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, as well as their rights to education, development, culture, leisure, play, health, and privacy. This article argues that Australia’s social media ban sets a dangerous precedent for global digital governance. Recognizing that social media can both empower and endanger children, this article makes the case for a holistic, rights-based approach to online safety. It calls on policymakers to give primary consideration to children's rights and diverse needs, ensuring that they place their best interests at the center of all regulatory efforts. It further contends that the success of this approach depends on sustained, coordinated efforts from all stakeholders: governments, online service providers, families, communities, and children themselves. To this end, this article highlights five key strategies to improve children's online safety: (1) strengthening legislative protections for human rights in general and children's rights in particular; (2) introducing a statutory duty of care requiring online service providers to safeguard children's digital wellbeing; (3) ensuring the meaningful participation of children as rights holders in shaping relevant digital policies and practices; (4) embedding online safety education across formal and informal learning settings to build children's digital resilience; and (5) promoting family and community engagement in supporting children's rights and wellbeing in the digital environment. In conclusion, this article underscores that protecting children online must move away from blanket bans and instead adopt a holistic, rights-based framework—one that not only protects children from online harms but also upholds their rights and best interests in the digital world.
