Data for a Better Future: A Handy List of Australian Data Sources and Tools
Last updated Tuesday, 20 June 2025
Access to reliable data is essential for a comprehensive understanding of and improvement in the lives of children and young people. This article highlights a selection of key Australian data sources and tools, offering insights into child and youth development, education, health, and social well-being. These resources empower community organisations to make informed decisions that shape a better future for our children, youth, and families.
1 / Australian Early Development Census (AEDC)
The AEDC provides a national measurement to monitor Australian children’s development. It provides evidence to support policy, planning, and action for health, education, and community support. The AEDC can assist governments in developing flexible approaches to policy and planning that address the evolving needs of children and families in the future.
2 / My School / The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
ACARA's My School provides information that helps parents/carers and the community understand the performance of schools over time.
My School contains data on every school in Australia. This includes information on a school’s student profile, its NAPLAN performance and funding. You can also see enrolment numbers and attendance rates.
3 / Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas
The Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas is an online interactive data asset that uses geospatial and temporal visualisation to map health and wellbeing indicators for children and young people aged 0 to 24 across Australian communities.
This freely accessible resource enables government agencies, researchers, and community organisations to systematically identify and address child and youth wellbeing priorities in a rigorous and cost-effective way.
4/ ACT AUDITOR–GENERAL’S PERFORMANCE AUDIT REPORT
Canberra Health Services (CHS) provides specialist, psychosocial and acute services for young people aged 12 to 18 years old with moderate to severe mental illness. This audit considered nine of these services. These services are provided by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The audit assessed the effectiveness of CHS’ planning of mental health services for young people with moderate to severe mental illness, the accessibility of the existing services and the extent to which the performance of these services is monitored and evaluated.
5 / Atlases of Health and Social Care (UC)
Whilst Directories list service information, Atlases present the information visually using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Both are decision support tools which support evidence-informed policy and planning. These tools account for local factors, highlight variations in care (including disparities in service access), and gaps in service provision. They make it easier to compare services across a number of health service areas.
6 / Child Social Exclusion Index
The University of Canberra (initially through NATSEM) has around two decades of extensive research expertise in the area of social exclusion and wellbeing in Australia, manifest among other things in the development of a small area Child Social Exclusion (CSE) Index.
Do you know if any relevant data sources are missing? Email nmolyneux@barnardos.org.au to suggest any additions.