Child wellbeing and prevention key to youth justice reform, ARACY report finds

Australia's approach to youth justice should focus more heavily on child wellbeing, prevention and early intervention rather than detention, according to a new report from the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).

The report, Raising Children Up – Shutting Detention Down, argues that community safety and child wellbeing are closely connected and calls for a fundamental shift in how governments respond to children and young people who come into contact with the justice system.

For the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, the report reinforces a longstanding message: children's outcomes are shaped by the environments, relationships and opportunities they experience throughout childhood, long before they enter the youth justice system.

ARACY's report draws on The Nest, the organisation's national child wellbeing framework, which identifies six interconnected domains that children need to thrive:

• valued, loved and safe
• healthy
• learning
• material basics
• participating
• positive identity and culture.

The report argues that when these foundations are absent or weakened through poverty, trauma, social exclusion, racism or family instability, children become more vulnerable to poorer outcomes across multiple areas of life.

Rather than viewing offending behaviour solely through a criminal justice lens, ARACY proposes a public health approach that addresses the underlying factors that contribute to disadvantage and harm.

"Children and young people don't develop in a vacuum. What surrounds us shapes us," the report states.

A key finding of the report is that detention often disrupts the very conditions that support positive child development.

According to ARACY, detention can negatively affect children's health, wellbeing, education, family relationships and community connections, while doing little to address the underlying circumstances that contribute to offending behaviour.

The report highlights international examples where investment in prevention and community-based responses has been associated with reductions in youth offending and detention rates.

Among them is Scotland's Getting it Right for Every Child approach, which has been linked to substantial reductions in youth custody and youth offending over time.

ARACY argues that similar outcomes could be achieved in Australia through sustained investment in early intervention and child wellbeing initiatives.

The report places significant emphasis on the overrepresentation of First Nations children and young people within Australia's youth justice system.

ARACY calls for greater investment in First Nations-led and community-controlled organisations, arguing that culturally responsive approaches grounded in identity, connection and community play a critical role in supporting children and families.

The report recommends expanding access to First Nations-led diversion programs, family support services, healing initiatives and reintegration pathways.

Another central recommendation is the inclusion of children, young people and families with lived experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs.

ARACY argues that meaningful participation strengthens decision-making and helps ensure systems respond more effectively to the needs of children and communities.

The report calls for greater use of youth advisory groups, co-design processes and governance structures that incorporate lived experience perspectives.

The report also highlights the economic case for investing earlier in children's wellbeing.

According to ARACY, the majority of spending within child and family systems is directed towards crisis responses and tertiary interventions, while comparatively little funding is invested in prevention and early support.

The organisation argues that strengthening families, communities and children's wellbeing earlier in life can reduce demand for more intensive and costly interventions later.

For the ECEC sector, the findings reinforce the value of high-quality early childhood education and care as part of a broader system of support that contributes to children's learning, wellbeing, participation and sense of belonging.

ARACY identifies five key actions for governments:

1. Embed lived experience in decision-making at all levels.
2. Strengthen First Nations leadership through greater investment in community-controlled organisations.
3. Increase investment in prevention, early intervention and community-based supports.
4. Make child wellbeing a National Cabinet priority with shared targets and accountability measures.
5. Use The Nest wellbeing framework to guide policy, measurement and reform.

While focused on youth justice, the report has clear implications for the ECEC sector.

Many of the protective factors identified by ARACY, strong relationships, participation, learning opportunities, cultural identity, safety and wellbeing, align closely with the principles underpinning Australia's approved learning frameworks and the National Quality Framework.

The report ultimately argues that improving child wellbeing is not only beneficial for individual children and families but also contributes to stronger, safer and more connected communities.

As governments continue to debate youth justice policy across Australia, ARACY's findings highlight the importance of investing early, supporting families and creating the conditions children need to thrive long before they encounter crisis or disadvantage.

Access the full report here.