This booklet provides a summary of just some of the material we have collected in the first year of Footprints in Time: the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. In the first year of the study, we asked parents about their health, their child’s health, what languages they speak, how they like to spend their time and the role of culture and community in their children’s lives. This is the first time such a longitudinal study has been conducted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in so many locations across Australia.
Getting the best outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children – good health, learning at school, participating in their community, being safe and happy – requires understanding of all the factors that influence their lives as they grow up, such as their family, their communities, their culture, and the use and effectiveness of services. The information gathered through Footprints in Time will assist governments, communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to better understand these factors.
What is Footprints in Time?
Footprints in Time is a study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies aged between 6 and 18 months, and children aged 3½ to 4½ years old, in different parts of Australia. The study started collecting data in April 2008. Footprints in Time children will be visited each year to find out how they are going and what is happening in their lives. In this way, we will better understand what impacts on children’s lives over time and how children can be best supported to grow up strong and resilient.
Which communities are included in the study?
Figure 1: Footprints in Time sample distribution
Figure 1 description: This diagram depicts the geographic spread of the Study children across Australia. These study sites are: Northern Territory Top End, South East Queensland, South Coast NSW, Mt Isa, Mornington, Doomadgee, Normanton, Western Sydney, Dubbo, Greater Shepparton, Torres Strait Islands and Northern Peninsula area, Kimberly Region, Adelaide, Alice Springs and some surrounding communities.
In 2008, our study families were living in cities, regional country centres, and more remote towns and outstations. The Footprints in Time study sites are:
- Western Sydney (New South Wales) Campbelltown to Riverstone
- Dubbo (New South Wales)
- South Coast (New South Wales) from Eden to Kiama
- Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Inala, Gold Coast (Queensland)
- Mount Isa, Mornington, Doomadgee, Normanton, Cloncurry (Queensland)
- Torres Strait Islands – Thursday, Hammond, Horn, Badu and Moa Islands and the Northern Peninsula Area (Queensland)
- Darwin, Katherine, Galiwinku (Northern Territory)
- Alice Springs, Hermannsburg (Northern Territory)
- Derby, Broome, Fitzroy Crossing, One Arm Point (Western Australia)
- Greater Shepparton (Victoria) incorporating regions between Wangaratta, Seymour, Cobram and Barmah
- Adelaide, Port Augusta (South Australia).