The Commissioner for Children and Young People Leanne McLean today welcomed the Tasmanian Government’s additional $7 million package for Child and Family Learning Centres as part of its COVID-19 rebuilding program.
“This is a very welcome step toward improving the wellbeing of Tasmanian children, young people and their families,” Ms McLean said.
“In my report, Investing in the wellbeing of Tasmania’s Children and Young People, released earlier this year, I called for greater investment and earlier intervention in the first 1000 days of children’s lives.
“Evidence shows that earlier investments, particularly in the first critical 1000 days of a child’s life from conception through to age two, can have a large and lasting impact on a person’s wellbeing into adulthood.
“Child and Family Learning Centres are an excellent example of such investments, combining essential health and educational services for children from birth to five years which are both universal and proportionate to need.
“Bringing the building of these Centres forward makes sense as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. I look forward to seeing the implementation of further coordinated prevention and support strategies to improve the wellbeing of children, young people and their families, particularly in the early years of children’s lives.
“I believe that the wellbeing of children and young people should become the cornerstone of Tasmanian government policy and decision-making”
“Our future prosperity largely depends on our ability to foster the wellbeing of the next generation of Tasmanians.”
Ms McLean said investing in the wellbeing of children and young people not only upholds their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but also provides the foundation for prosperity for all Tasmanians, irrespective of age.
“Investing early, before problems become entrenched and more expensive to resolve, has been shown to reduce the numbers of children needing crisis and late intervention responses, such as child protection, youth justice, mental health treatment and youth unemployment services.”
