‘The Missing Middle’ in childhood poverty and wellbeing indicators
This is the second post in a 3-part series from the Children’s Policy Centre at ANU, focusing on childhood poverty and wellbeing indicators. Today Cadhla O’Sullivan, Megan Lang and Sharon Bessell highlight the gaps for children in the middle years, why this matters, and the importance of listening to children to understand their experiences of poverty. Read part 1 here.
In the More for Children research, conducted by the Children’s Policy Centre, we found that often children experience poverty differently to the adults in their lives. Therefore, we advocate for a child-standpoint on poverty that allows us to understand, assess and respond to child poverty in ways that are genuinely child-centred. A recent report from the Australia Institute on child poverty highlights that what gets measured, gets managed. Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated that while traditional measures of progress have a place, they don’t paint the whole picture and more can be done to measure what matters. This points to the importance of measurements in tracking progress of poverty and wellbeing, yet we argue that we cannot know what to measure, unless we know what matters to children first.
Children’s voices are important
With an estimated 1 in 6 children in Australia living in poverty, it is sobering to realise how little we know about children’s experiences, and especially the experiences of children in the middle years, which we typically define as those children between the ages six to 12 years. Our More for Children research highlights that children’s experiences of poverty are different from those of adults. In our research children have shared the many strengths in their lives, such as the love they have for their family and friends, but they also spoke of the challenges they face when living in contexts of poverty and the ways in which their lives are impacted. Yet children are rarely consulted on matters that affect them most.
In the last decade, wellbeing strategies and policies for children and young people have been developed across Australia. These are much needed and welcome. The first of the three articles within this series, on the More for Children research, highlighted trends that are emerging in our analysis of indicators around poverty and wellbeing in Australia. The absence of child-centred indicators is evident in our analysis, and there is a particular gap for children in the middle years. Strategies and services are being targeted toward children in the early years which is important to give young children the best start in life. Often, there are policies and programs targeted at the adolescent/youth age group. Again, an important set of strategies. Yet, children in the middle years are either the remit of schools, or of families.
The importance of middle childhood
The period of middle childhood comprises many developmental milestones and children within this phase of life navigate many relationships, life transitions and – as we hear in our research – also many challenges. We hear of the many important domains of a child’s life. Children in our research talk about family, friends, pets, sports, and school among many other things. Yet within the wellbeing strategies we have analysed, most of the measurements for children in the middle years remain centred around school, with children in this phase often referred to as ‘school-aged children’. When we listen to children we hear powerfully of their hopes and dreams for now and for the future. We hear about what makes life good and what makes life tough. While school plays an essential role in children’s experiences, children’s lives encompass so much more than school.
We do not deny that school plays a vital role in the lives of children in the middle years. Children in our research spoke positively of school breakfast and lunch programs. Many children spoke of kind and caring teachers, school as a place where they can meet their friends and where there is space and equipment to play. But we also heard of children’s awareness of the immense pressures their teachers are under and many children spoke of needing more help in school that they simply cannot access under current systemic challenges/pressures. While school plays a critical role in the lives of children, it cannot be the only solution, and for children who are living in poverty, their lives become narrowly defined between school and home with few other opportunities in between.
Some interventions are now being targeting toward the middle years, which is an encouraging step forward but it is important that initiatives are child-centred and include children’s views and experiences. Our analysis of poverty and wellbeing strategies shows the absence of children’s voices, especially children in the middle years, in informing and shaping the strategies that contribute to their ability to thrive now and into the future.
While a focus on wellbeing is important for children and their families, it often neglects the role poverty plays in scaffolding wellbeing. When we listen to children, we hear of the ways that poverty shapes many aspects of their lives. While a lack of material resources is central to the experience of poverty, it is multidimensional. The MOR Framework provides a way of understanding the ways in which children experience poverty in all its dimensions. Currently, there are a number of initiatives focused on children in the early years, including the National Early Years Strategy. There are also a range of initiatives for young people, including advisory groups at federal and state levels. It is evident from our research and analysis that more supports are needed to support children and their families in the middle years. A starting point must be ending child poverty, in all its dimensions, in this wealthy country.
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