Australian Early Development Census case studies

Although there is a strong correlation between socio-economic status and vulnerability, the highest proportion of vulnerable children is most likely to sit in the middle band of Socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) quintiles.

The AEDC affords us the opportunity to examine what is impacting the development of children over time. With an increased understanding of how policies and practices impact child development, this data will assist us in identifying necessary reforms to improve outcomes for children.

Notably, there has been significant improvement across all AEDC domains in some vulnerable Victorian communities. The case studies on this page detail the way in which a range of communities has responded to need.

A number of local status reports, modelled on The State of Victoria’s Children report, have been published since the first release of the AEDC data in 2010. These reports build on the foundation of AEDC results for their local communities. Bendigo, East Gippsland, Wyndham, Whittlesea, Shepparton and Great Southern communities were early adopters.

The Local Champions project in 2009 led to strong engagement with the AEDC data which has continued through to present. For more information, visit The Victorian Local Champions project.

There are many resources to help you use data; refer to: Using the AEDC: research, resources and data sources.