Children and young people

Children and young people have the right to a full life, where they can thrive, be supported, and be empowered.

The early years of a child’s life are foundational for future health, development, and wellbeing outcomes. Unfortunately, many children and young people in our country do not have a great start in life and face various challenges that are outside their control. This can be stressful, traumatic, and disruptive to their development, and have lifelong impacts.

On average, one in six Australian children aged 0-14 years live in poverty. Children living in regional Australia are more at risk of child social exclusion, a measure of childhood disadvantage which extends the concept of child poverty, with almost 48 per cent of children in regional areas falling into the two most excluded quintiles. There is a strong correlation between experiencing poverty in the first thousand days of life and experiencing adverse health and wellbeing outcomes in later life. The effects of poverty also adversely impact educational attainment, with children experiencing disadvantage being on average two to three years behind in reading and maths by the time they reach 15 years. This can prevent children from reaching their full potential later in life and perpetuates intergenerational disadvantage for those 1.2 million Australian children living in poverty. 

Children and young people living in out-of-home care are even more acutely affected. Children and young people living in out-of-home care experience poorer wellbeing outcomes in general, as well as having often experienced a range of significant adverse life experiences and traumas. These experiences are linked with reduced social skills, developmental disruption, poorer educational attainment, increased likelihood of encountering the youth justice system, poorer physical and mental health outcomes, impacts to their attachment behaviours and connection to community. 

For young people, limited employment prospects in Australia can substantially impact their wellbeing. Being unemployed restricts access to a wide range of services, opportunities, and necessities, including housing, transportation, and basic living needs.

These adverse experiences in childhood and at a young age can result in ongoing and chronic experiences of poverty across a person’s whole life. We need to ensure opportunities for children and young people so they can achieve their potential at any age.

As well as providing specialised youth housing, employment training and education services, The Salvation Army advocates to all governments for:
•    A dedicated national youth housing and homelessness plan.
•    Youth justice reform, including raising the age of criminal responsibility. 
•    Structural reform to the social security system, including raising the rate of the JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance.
•    Equitable access to opportunities that allow all children and their families to thrive. 

Find out more in our 2025 Social Justice Stocktake report.