The role of the First 1000 Days roundtable is to discuss how ECEC supports children, parents and carers in a child’s first 1000 days.

Roundtable participants

  • The Hon Julia Gillard, Royal Commissioner
  • Merrilyn Hannaford, Family Day Care Educators Association (SA)
  • Carrie Johnson, Community Children’s Centres SA
  • Lynne Rutherford, Gowrie SA
  • Mandy Dempsey, Port Augusta Children’s Centre
  • Kerry Mahoney, Australian Childcare Alliance
  • Dr Rhiannon Pilkington, University of Adelaide, BetterStart
  • Craig Bradbrook, Playgroups SA
  • Ross Womersley, South Australian Council of Social Services
  • Adriana Christopoulos, SA Multicultural Commission
  • Jo Vlassco, Local Government Association
  • Jackie Bray, SA Department  for Education
  • Prof Katina D’Onise, Wellbeing SA
  • Fiona Margrie, Women’s and Children’s Health Network
  • Sandy Pitcher, Department of Human Services
  • Tessa Kong, Australian Association for Infant Mental Health
  • Greg Ward, Novita
  • Helen Graham, Autism SA
  • Shona Reid, Guardian for Children and Young People
  • Prof Jon Jureidini, University of Adelaide, School of Medicine
  • Helen Gibbons, United Workers Union
  • David Coltman, TAFE SA
  • Judy Atkinson, Australian Childcare Alliance SA
  • Myra Geddes, Goodstart

Roundtable summaries

The second meeting of the First 1000 Days Roundtable met on Friday 24 March to help inform the Royal Commission's considerations on how early childhood education and care could support families and children in the first 1000 days.

The discussion focused on:

  • barriers in accessing quality early childhood education and care services for some families in South Australia
  • the limitations of current systems of data capture across the government and non-government sector to monitor the wellbeing and development of children
  • the importance of quality and integration as an intervention for families and children.

The Commission heard the themes around barriers for access for some families were practical or systemic with poverty, navigation of systems, regional constraints, workforce and specific child supports central to the discussion.

There was broad consensus on the opportunities for coordinated and improved data sharing systems and investments as a mechanism to identify and intervene with supports for families and children attending and not attending ECEC.

The First 1000 Days Roundtable will convene again in May.

On 1 February, stakeholders from across South Australia, representing early childhood services, unions, researchers, public health, sector peak bodies, government agencies, statutory functions and non-government support services all came together to provide their wisdom and insight to the Royal Commission.

In the first 1000 days of life, stakeholders agreed how important families are as a child’s first teacher, and they also agreed that allied health, prenatal health and the health and wellbeing of parents as well as children are critical to successful engagement in ECEC.

There was strong agreement about placing children at the centre of system design and delivery, ensuring that we don’t create barriers or systems that are hard to navigate or which block access. Stakeholders also the importance of community engagement with ECEC to connect with families and services and for ECEC to be part of a community.

Roundtable members reflected on the powerful role ECEC can play, particularly in the first 1000 days, to disrupt the impacts of disadvantage, poverty and other social determinants of health. Members also acknowledged that there was a need to directly address disadvantage and inequality.

Stakeholders also noted the challenges of delivering services in regional areas, where it is harder to maintain a workforce, the challenges of isolation and distance from supports.

Stakeholders will come together again in March 2023.