NSW Child Development Study (NSW-CDS)

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Facilitating important Australian research into child and adolescent mental health and well-being

The NSW Child Development Study (NSW-CDS) is a long-term, data linkage study following a cohort of over 91,000 children in NSW from birth to adulthood. It uses administrative data from state and Commonwealth agencies and checks in with the children at different ages. The study links data about the health, education, justice, child protection and welfare records of the children and their parents (where available) spanning the years 1971 – 2024. The main goal of the NSW-CDS is to understand how early life and intergenerational experiences affect later mental health issues and associated child protection contacts, physical health, education, social outcomes, and involvement with the justice system in adolescence and adulthood.

Through analysing data from the linked dataset, the NSW-CDS facilitates insights into the development of mental disorders across the life-course, with consideration of intersecting mental health, justice, education, and physical health problems.

Achievements

Findings from the NSW CDS show negative impacts for children and young people with child protection and OOHC contact on a range of outcomes, including school performance and suspensions, physical and mental health, suicide and self-harm, developmental vulnerabilities, educational achievement, resilience and contact with the police. The findings have been made available through FACSIAR webinars and publications to a large, non-academic audience, including DCJ policy and program staff. Evidence from the NSW-CDS has been used to inform multiple strategies in the Child and Family sector, policy and program design, and to promote timely risk identification and resource allocation in child protection reporting processes.

Engagement

The NSW Child Development Study (NSW-CDS) is led by Professor Melissa Green from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). It is conducted in collaboration with researchers at UNSW, Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, and Charles Sturt University. There are ongoing collaborative partnerships with the NSW Ministry of Health, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, and the NSW Department of Education. These partnerships ensure that findings from the study can be used to develop new policies and community programs to support the healthy development of Australian children and young people, especially those exposed to childhood adversity. For more details see UNSW's NSW Child Development Study website.

Department leading the project

NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Family and Community Services Insights, Analysis and Research (FACSIAR)