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QFCC releases online resource that reports on wellbeing of Queensland’s children
Freya Lucas
Dec 04, 2023
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The Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) has launched the Data Explorer, a rich online resource that reports on the wellbeing of Queensland’s 1.6 million children, their families and communities.
The explorer presents a holistic picture of child, family and community wellbeing in Queensland, with data and case studies describing their health, education, wealth, and living and family circumstances.The resource is significant because it is the first time that Queensland child, family and community wellbeing data has been presented in an interactive, multi-source platform and at regional and state level, with data sourced from NGOs, researchers and government departments.
The QFCC’s Data Explorer is a go-to resource for information about children and families, drawing together many separate data sources into one location to tell the story about what it’s like to grow up and live in Queensland.
It comprises thousands of data points that describe child, family and community wellbeing in Queensland and more than 20 case studies highlighting people and programs making a difference, with information from state and federal government departments, community and non-government organisations, and research institutions.
The data and case studies map to the wellbeing framework developed by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY), which sets out the six interconnected factors children and families need to thrive:
- Feeling valued, loved and safe
- Having material basics
- Being healthy
- Being engaged in education
- Participating in their communities
- Having a positive sense of identity and culture.
The data is deep and complex, and allows the reader to connect deeply with the findings. For example, the reader can access survey results about children’s views of issues that affect them; data about employment, family incomes and cost-of-living pressures; health information; data about educational outcomes and young people’s plans after school; data about activities around transitioning to adulthood, such as enrolling to vote and learning to drive; and so much more.
The Data Explorer will be continually updated to ensure it presents a contemporary view of child, family and community wellbeing in Queensland.
“There is so much disparate data out there about child and family wellbeing, reported by separate government agencies and sector organisations, that it can be difficult to form a complete picture of children’s and families’ experiences growing up and living in Queensland,” said QFCC Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford.
“In drawing together this data and mapping to the ARACY wellbeing framework, it clearly demonstrates that the needs of Queensland children and families don’t fit neatly into one government portfolio or agency; instead, it highlights that wellbeing is interconnected."
A short video about the Data Explorer is available here.
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