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Developing Darebin’s new Families, Youth and Children Strategy

Council has drafted a new strategy for children and young people from 0 to 25 years old, and their families. The strategy will provide a platform for Council and its partners to work in collaboration to improve outcomes for all children, young people and their families in Darebin.

The draft strategy has been developed through engagement and collaboration with many stakeholders.

Development of the draft strategy - who? how? what?

  • Participants

    The draft strategy has been developed through engagement and collaboration processes that have involved:

    • more than 800 children, young people and adults from across the Darebin community
    • more than 40 organisations.


    They all have a stake in improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

  • Questions

    We asked about:

    • the most important things that children, young people and families need to have a good life in Darebin
    • what is working well
    • what should Darebin City Council and our partners focus on to help children, young people and their families
    • makes life hard for children, young people and families.

  • Results

    Seven themes were developed:

    • Essentials for Life
    • Inclusion and Belonging
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Safety and Independence
    • Learning
    • Community Leadership
    • Systems of Support


    These are a snapshot of the issues and priorities that community and stakeholders feel are most important for children, young people and families.

The Seven Themes and their Focus Areas

The Seven Themes and their Focus Areas

The seven Themes, their Focus Areas and Aims

Focus Areas

  • Supporting families and young people facing cost of living pressures.
  • Helping young people to access secure and rewarding employment and career pathways.
  • Helping all children, young people and families to have their basic needs met.
  • Financial literacy and life skills.


    • Why is this important

  • All children, young people and families need the material basics of life. This includes suitable, secure, stable housing, appropriate clothing, nutritious food, access to transport and services, enough money for all of life’s necessities and to be an active member of society.
  • Many families and young people in Darebin are experiencing significant cost of living pressures, which can place significant stress on families and individuals. The number of people seeking material and financial support services is on the rise.
  • Many other issues have an impact on a person or family’s ability to access the essentials for life, including physical or mental health issues, disability, experiences of trauma or violence. Family violence is a significant cause of homelessness.


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Cost of living was an area of significant concern in community responses to our engagement survey. Community members noted that it puts pressure on families, and many described it as a crisis. This theme was particularly strong in the responses from young people and adults, but it was clear that many children are also aware of cost of living pressures.
  • Housing was the most commonly mentioned cost of living pressure, but many other things were also mentioned including food, childcare (early years and out of school), petrol, rates, utilities and children’s activities.
  • Employment opportunities, career prospects and their rights at work are key issues for young people.


    • Key data

  • 76.6% of persons aged 15 to 24 years are fully engaged with employment and education. 12.8% of persons aged 15 to 24 were unemployed (1,232 people in total). (2021 census data)
  • 28.8% of households living in rented accommodation in Darebin (6,547 households in total) pay more than 30% of their income on rent, a commonly accepted indicator of rental stress. 14.2% of households with a mortgage (2,499 households in total) pay more than 30% of their income on their mortgage. (2021 census data). These figures are likely to have been impacted by interest rate rises since 2022.


    • Aims

  • Supports with basic needs including housing supports, food relief and financial supports are available and accessible when needed, including wrap-around supports for those who need them.
  • Affordable housing is prioritised by all levels of government.
  • The causes of youth homelessness are addressed so that no young person ends up homeless.
  • Young people understand their rights as workers and those rights are respected by employers.
  • Young people are supported to identify and achieve their employment and career aspirations.
  • Young people are equipped with the life skills they need to thrive.
  • People know what benefits and supports they are entitled to and are supported to access these.

    • Focus Areas

  • Making Darebin a community where everyone can find their people.
  • Welcoming and inclusive places and services for all.
  • Opportunities to participate and connect.
  • Valuing and including everyone.


    • Why is this important?

  • Connection and belonging are fundamental human needs. Having loving, trusting relationships with family and friends, and feeling valued and cared for by teachers and other adults in their life is one of the core needs for children and young people.
  • For all people feeling like you belong to a community is vital for mental health and positive identity. It is particularly important for children and young people to feel this sense of belonging and connection in their lives as they develop their identify and transition through key life stages.
  • Feeling lonely, isolated or excluded is damaging to mental and physical health.


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Responses from children, young people and adults all suggest a strong recognition of the importance of relationships and community for supporting children, young people and families. Friendship and family were amongst the strongest themes from children’s responses to the question “what makes you healthy and happy?”.
  • Adults want children to feel supported and loved, and they want their children and themselves to feel part of a supported and connected community.
  • The community wants more opportunities for children, young people, parents and families to connect including through activities, events, support networks/groups, and spaces to connect.


    • Key data

  • In 2020, 17.5% of adults surveyed in Darebin said they talked to friends a few times a month or less often, compared to 18.3% across Victoria (Victorian Population Health Survey).
  • In 2020, 16.9% of adults surveyed in Darebin said that most people could be trusted ‘never’ or ‘not often’, compared to 14.2% across Victoria (Victorian Population Health Survey).
  • Across Australia 24% of young people aged 15-19 surveyed by Mission Australia in 2023 identified relationship challenges with family, friends or significant others as their biggest personal challenge (Mission Australia Youth Survey 2023).


    • Aims

  • Increasing places, spaces and activities that support connection for children, young people and families.
  • Working together to activate our places, spaces and services to create more opportunities for connection and belonging.
  • Making Darebin a community where everyone can find a group or community where they feel they belong, whatever their interests.
  • Places, spaces, activities and services that are safe, welcoming and inclusive for all children, young people and families, including neurodivergent people, LGBTQIA+ people, First Nations, culturally diverse communities, people with disabilities and anyone else who may be marginalised or excluded.
  • Increased connection across generations and cultures – weaving the community together.

    • Focus Areas

  • Physical activity and active transport
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Access to thriving natural environments that support wellbeing


    • Why is this important

  • The mental health of children and young people is a major concern for young people and the community more broadly.
  • Mental health problems that emerge in childhood can have impacts across the life-course: it is estimated that about half of adult mental problems begin before the age of 14.
  • Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15–24. Young people also have the highest rates of hospitalisation for intentional selfharm.A wide range of issues can impact mental health including the pressures of navigating significant life transitions, social isolation, discrimination and social exclusion.
  • Protective factors include access to mental health care when required, social connection and connection with nature, community and land.
  • Access to high quality open space is also essential to support physical activity and wellbeing.
  • Health and wellbeing outcomes are unequal across different groups in our community. For example, there is evidence to indicate that people with autism have a life expectancy 20–36 years shorter than the general population (Australian Parliament Select Committee on Autism Report)


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Parks, playgrounds and open spaces were probably this single biggest theme across community engagement responses from children, young people and adults. All groups identified parks, playgrounds and open space as being important for health and happiness, and identified access to these spaces as current strength or a feature that they like about their local area. However, many children also identified parks and playgrounds as an area for improvement, both in terms of the level of provision across all parts of Darebin and improvements they would like to see such as more shade. Other themes in relation to the environment include concerns about cleanliness and litter, support for walkable and cyclable environments (as reflected in the safety theme), and support for enhancing Darebin’s natural environments and biodiversity.
  • A significant number of responses from children, young people and adults emphasised the important of opportunities to be physically active for children’s wellbeing. Darebin’s sports clubs and sport and recreation facilities were seen as a strength, but the cost of accessing sports and recreation opportunities was reported as a challenge that many in the community face.
  • Young people have identified access to mental health support as a key priority.


    • Key data

  • In 2021, 16.1% of children in Darebin were developmentally at risk or vulnerable at the time of starting school in the physical health and wellbeing domain, compared to 19.1% across Victoria. 20.8% of children were developmentally at risk or vulnerable in the emotional maturity domain, compared to 21.5% across Victoria (Australian Early Development Census).
  • Mental health conditions are the most commonly diagnosed long-term health conditions amongst people aged 15-24 in Darebin, with 13.7% of people in this age group reporting that they had been diagnosed with a mental health condition in 2021. (2021 census data).Across Australia 24% of young people aged 15-19 surveyed by Mission Australia in 2023 identified mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, diagnosed disorders or self-harm as their biggest personal challenge (Mission Australia Youth Survey 2023). 32% of young people were personally extremely or very concerned about mental health.
  • 7.4% of households in Darebin don’t have access to a public open space within 500 metres of their house. The areas with the highest proportion of households that don’t have this access are Preston West (25.4%), Reservoir South (17.1%) and Kingsbury (15.3%) (Breathing Space: Darebin Open Space Strategy 2019).


    • Aims

  • Mental health support available when and where children, young people and families need it.
  • Everyone has access to a wide range of physical activity opportunities to match their interests.
  • Children, young people and families feel connected to nature.
  • Children, young people and families feel socially connected

    • Focus Areas

  • Physical, cultural, emotional and psychological safety in all settings
  • Community safety in public spaces and transport
  • Safety in families and homes


    • Why is this important

  • Everyone has the right to feel safe at home, in the community and in all settings, at every age.
  • For children and young people feeling safe and secure is vital for their emotional and psychological development.
  • Feeling safe is foundational for mental health and wellbeing, inclusion and participation in community and for people to be able to embrace who they are regardless of their cultural or religious identify, gender, sexual identity or any other factors.
  • For young people feeling safe and being safe in public spaces and in all forms of transport is essential for their independence and autonomy.


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Road safety, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists, was a strong theme that came through in responses from children as well as adults.
  • Being and feeling safe in public spaces also came through, particularly in responses from adults and stakeholders.
  • Stakeholders identified cultural safety as key priority for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  • Children’s safety online is another important priority flagged by stakeholders.
  • The issue if knife crime was raised as a safety concern by stakeholders.


    • Key data

  • In 2023 the family-related incident rate for Darebin was 1,100 per 100,000 population, compared with the Victorian rate of 1,385.
  • The rate of family violence incidents against females in Darebin in 2022-23 was more than three times higher than the rate against males.
  • In 2017 there were 18.3 fatalities or injuries from road accidents per 10,000 residents in Darebin, compared to 19.3 per 10,000 people across Victoria as a whole.


    • Aims

  • Children, young people are safe and feel safe at home and in the community.
  • Children are safe and protected from harm online.
  • Public spaces and places are safe and welcoming for all children and young people.
  • All services are culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families.
  • Child Safe Standards are a high priority for all Darebin services.
  • Darebin is a place where everyone feels physically, culturally, emotionally and psychologically safe.
  • Children, young people and families are more aware of the supports available to assist them to be safe in their community.

    • Focus Areas

  • Access to high quality learning.
  • Participation in learning.
  • Preparing young people for the future.


    • Why is this important

  • From birth to adulthood learning is essential to enable people to realise their potential. Learning starts at home during the first of life and continues through Early Childhood Education and Care, and then at school, and also in wide variety of settings beyond formal education.
  • For children and young people’s learning to be supported, the formal and informal education services and settings they encounter from the early years right through to their young adulthood need to be high quality, inclusive and safe.
  • Disengagement from education or difficulties attending school (often referred to as ‘school refusal’) have been seen to be on the rise in recent years, in a trend that has been attributed to the disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Learning is not just about academic skills and knowledge. Children and young people also need to acquire essential life skills in areas such as financial literacy, emotional intelligence and regulation, cooking and driving, as well as useful work experience opportunities, to support their transition to adulthood.
  • For many children and young people socioeconomic barriers can affect their ability to access to the technology and other resources children need to fully engage at school or in other learning settings.

    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Viewed in broad terms, learning featured strongly in the responses to both the children’s activity and adult/young people’s survey. Children’s response indicated that they value reading, books, libraries and school as well as creative activities.
  • Adult’s responses placed a high value on education, and emphasised access to childcare, kindergarten and school as being important.


    • Key data

  • Childcare provision in Darebin shows a clear North-South divide, with 35% of children in Darebin-North living in a childcare desert, compared to 0% in Darebin-South.
  • 89% of four-year-olds in Darebin participated in kindergarten in 2022, the highest participation rate in Darebin in the last five years. Across Victoria, the four-year-old participation rate was 92% in 2022.
  • In 2021, 68.4% of people aged over 15 years in Darebin had completed Year 12 schooling (or equivalent), compared to 59.4% across Greater Melbourne.
  • 74.2% of students who completed Year 12 in Darebin in 2020 were in further education or training in 2021, compared to 49.4% of Year 12 non-completers (based on Department of Education On Track survey responses)
  • Across Australia 49% of young people aged 15-19 surveyed by Mission Australia in 2023 identified school challenges, such as high workload, academic pressure, challenges with teachers or learning difficulties, as their biggest personal challenge (Mission Australia Youth Survey 2023).


    • Aims

  • All children and young people in Darebin have access to high quality education and learning opportunities from the early years through to young adulthood.
  • Children and young people’s access to education and learning is not limited by financial barriers.
  • More children and young people participate and engage in kindergarten, school and other education and training.
  • Children, young people and their families are well supported through all of the transitions in their education journey.
  • Young people leave school with the skills they need to succeed in life and are aware of the pathways available to them.

    • Focus Areas

  • Supporting child, youth and community leadership
  • Valuing lived experience
  • Authentic community engagement


    • Why is this important

  • Engaging authentically and meaningfully with the community, and placing a high value on the voices of lived experience, are essential to delivering on all aspects of this strategy.
  • Authentic engagement builds trust, improve the strategic responses to the community’s needs, creates belonging and ownership, and improves accountability.
  • For children and young people, having a voice, being listened to, and taken seriously within their community is crucial to feeling that they are full and valued members of the community.
  • Young people have made it clear that they want to have influence over the decisions that impact their lives and they want the chance to lead.


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • Young people want to have a say over the issues impacting them, they want to be involved in all stages of strategy development and decision making and they want the chance to lead.

  • Many adults also put significant effort into facilitating opportunities for children to participate in the development of this strategy, suggesting that some adults recognise the importance of children having a say.


    • Key data

  • 13.0% of 15-19 year olds and 14.7% of 20-24 years olds in Darebin volunteered in 2021, which was higher than the rates for those age groups in Victoria as a whole.


    • Aims

  • Community views and voices, including those of children and young people, are embedded and influential in decision-making processes in Council and other organisations.
  • Children, young people and families who engage with Council and other organisations feel respected, listened to, valued and taken seriously.
  • Youth leadership and community- and youth-led projects and initiatives are supported to addresses the priorities that are important to children, young people and families.
  • Peer support models and peer leadership are strengthened.

    • Focus Areas

    • Accessible services
    • Connected services
    • Responsive and engaging services
    • Culturally safe services

    Why is this important

  • Many of the priorities across this strategy require a service response to ensure that children, young people and families get the support they need when they need, regardless of socioeconomic status, ability, cultural or religious background, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity or other factors.
  • To meet the needs of children, young people and families, services need to be high quality, accessible, affordable, available when needed, safe, welcoming, and inclusive.
  • Stakeholders have identified that services need to be more connected and operate collaboratively as a system to ensure that children, young people and families are supported to navigate the system and find the supports they need.
  • Responsive service systems that intervene early can help address challenges for children, young people and families at an earlier stage to reduce harm and promote better outcomes over the long-term.
  • Research on the key aspects of service systems for supporting children and families shows that children and families benefit when access to key services is simplified by integrating services and supports across different sectors.


    • What we’ve heard from community

  • The community wants accessible and affordable services to be available to all children, young people and families across Darebin.


    • Key data

  • In 2022-23, 92% of babies born in Darebin participated in a four-week key age and stage visit with the Darebin Maternal and Child Health Service.
  • 33% of Early Childhood Education and Care services in Darebin are rated as exceeding the National Quality Standard, compared to 23% of services across Australia.
  • Children and young people aged from 0-24 represent 48% of all NDIS participants in Darebin (date for Q2 2023-24: https://data.ndis.gov.au/explore-data)


    • Aims

  • A more connected and integrated service system in which there is no wrong door – wherever someone goes they’ll get the help they need. A system that provides timely support when people need it.
  • Better communication so the community and services know what help is available and how to access it.
  • A more responsive system that is aware of the community’s needs and intervenes early to improve outcomes. A system that proactively works to reach out and engage children, young people and families at risk of poor outcomes.
  • Integrated ‘wrap-around’ services are available to those who need them.
  • Services are accessible for people from all cultures, are culturally safe, and child safe.
  • All services for children, young people and families achieve high standards for quality and clinical governance.

    • Developing the strategy

    At the start of 2024, Council's started developing a new strategy for children, young people, and their families from 0 to 25 years old. The Families, Youth and Children Strategy will replace our previous Early Years Strategy 2011-2021 and the Youth Services Strategy 2019-2021.

    This strategy will help Council and our partners to work together to improve outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

    Please tell us what you think is important to help make Darebin a great place for our children, young people and families as we develop this new strategy together with our partners. You can share your feedback either by completing the survey or sharing your vision or big idea (click on the "Share your vision or big idea" tab to post text or a photo, drawing or video).

    You can also email feedback to david.godden@darebin.vic.gov.au.

    Share your vision or big idea