"Making progress: the health, development and wellbeing of Australia's children and young people" is a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The report covers children and young people aged 0-19 years, and includes indicators for three different stages of development: infancy and early childhood; school age childhood; and adolescence. Information is presented on mental health, disability, risk factors for chronic disease, mortality, education, homelessness, crime, jobless families and family economic situation. Particular attention is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth, and to how Australia compares internationally.
One of the disturbing findings from this report is that the number of teenage girls who have been admitted to hospital for intentionally hurting themselves has risen by a third over the last decade. On the other hand, mortality rates for children under the age of 20 has actually fallen by a third and this decline is greater for males than for females.
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