Child Health Needs of Young Children from Families Living in Social and Economic Disadvantage

The 11% of children in Australia living in poverty, (UNICEF, 2012) have parents with low regular income, disconnection from services in employment, health and education, and feeling socially isolated from supportive networks. Refugees, newly arrived migrants and migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds are over-represented in areas of social disadvantage in Australia. Despite the availability of universal health services such as child health nurses, families from socially disadvantaged backgrounds are missing out on important support for the early years of childhood.