The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has issued an early childhood education and care (ECEC) specific coronavirus (COVID-19) statement, which makes a series of recommendations about how services can reduce the risk of community transmission of the virus.

Approximately 170,200 young Australians needed help from child protection services in 2018–19, a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has revealed, also noting that in the five-year period from 2014–15, the number of children receiving child protection services rose by about 12 per cent from 152,000 to 170,200, or around 30 per 1,000 children.

As more and more families engage in isolation, either in an attempt to flatten the curve of COVID 19 infection, or as a result of Health Department mandates and border closures, a worrying trend is emerging. All around Australia, those services who support women, children and families experiencing domestic violence have reported a dramatic increase in demand for their services.

While many early childhood education and care (ECEC) services still operational around Australia, service owners, operators and leaders are conscious of their obligations in relation to Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws which require all employers to take care of the health and safety of their workers (staff, contractors, volunteers) and others (children, parents and visitors) at the workplace.

Children who experience racial discrimination show higher risk markers for later cardiometabolic disease, including diabetes, heart disease or stroke, according to new research from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and The Australian National University (ANU).