Page 882 - Week 03 - Thursday, 7 April 2022
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prevention program for secondary school students in the ACT. This program reached approximately 3,000 year 9 students across 14 ACT public, Catholic and independent high schools last year. In a study conducted by the Black Dog Institute, students were asked to help evaluate the effectiveness of the program in increasing help-seeking and reducing suicidal ideation and behaviour. The outcomes from this study will contribute to the evidence base for suicide prevention programs in Australian schools and support the ongoing implementation of this program.
We are working collaboratively with the community to recognise and respond to the needs of our younger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans. It is important Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people can see themselves and their cultures reflected in our community, schools and health settings. It is our aim that they grow up in their families and communities and experience the same wellbeing outcomes as all other members of the Canberra community.
The government has committed $20 million over 10 years to a healing and reconciliation fund to support the delivery of local priorities set out in the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement and the national agreement on closing the gap. This will establish a Ngunnawal language centre and provide opportunities to rediscover and share Ngunnawal language and culture.
We also continue to support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector in the ACT through improved facilities and amenities to better cater for the needs of children and young people. We have allocated more than $15Â million to the construction of a purpose-built facility for Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health and Community Services, and another $15 million for a purpose-built facility designed in collaboration with Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation.
Another priority under the commitment is to implement policy that enables the conditions for children and young people to thrive. Access to information helps our community make evidence-based decisions. We are building a new dashboard to better inform the community on the wellbeing of our children and young people. This dashboard is based on the domains and foundations of the ACT wellbeing framework and brings together local and national data to support all Canberrans, to consider how and where they can best contribute to improving the lives of our children and young people in Canberra.
While many children in the ACT are progressing well, an increasing number are falling behind. Data from the most recent national Australian early development census shows an increase in the proportion of children starting school who are developmentally vulnerable across the five domains of physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication and general knowledge.
Children’s early years set the groundwork for their life-long learning. Because of this we are making sure every three-year-old can take part in quality early childhood education. This is a key part of Set up for Success, an early childhood strategy for the ACT. We are taking the first step towards this goal through the quality early
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