Pathways to a better quality of life for children and families through smarter social systems

Children’s development is influenced by many contexts and institutional settings, including families, schools, childcare centres, churches, and ethnic community groups. Positive development is more likely when the social systems that help shape these settings work in a manner that enriches children’s environments and their access to resources. The capacity to work across contexts and maintain integrated systems of support for development is particularly important for children who experience family adversity and various forms of social and economic disadvantage that are known risk factors for healthy development. If for example schools do not form effective relationships with families or draw systematically on community resources to support students and their families, children’s wellbeing may suffer.