Landmark report calls for stronger partnership with Child and Family Hubs to help tackle Australia’s developmental vulnerability gap

Social Ventures Australia (SVA) reveals that integrated Hubs could help close the equity gap for ​Australia’s ​children

​​CANBERRA, 24 March 2026 — A landmark policy brief launched today at Parliament House by SVA and partners from the National Child and Family Hubs Network ​highlights the value of integrated Child and Family Hubs (Hubs) as ​a proven lifeline to families facing complex challenges like housing instability, trauma, and social isolation.​​​ 

​​​​Hubs bring together early learning with child health nurses, allied health, parenting programs, and informal community spaces, offering a single entry point to multiple supports. The report, funded by ​Minderoo Foundation​ and the Berg Family Foundation, demonstrates how this enables earlier identification of need, and reaches families who otherwise would or could not access services.​​​ 

​​​​Australia is facing a pivotal moment in early childhood reform that could determine the life trajectories of thousands of children. The report calls on Federal and State governments to partner with the existing network of Hubs to ensure reforms, including the ​Building Early Education Fund​ and ​Thriving Kids initiative,​ meet the needs of more children and their families.

The problem to solve: concentrated disadvantage

​​Data from the Australian Early Development Census highlights a deepening divide: 13% of Australian children start school developmentally vulnerable on two or more domains. In socioeconomically disadvantaged areas this climbs to 20%, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children it reaches 27%. 131 ‘childcare deserts’ are a high priority for urgent Hub investment. These areas, where high disadvantage meets a lack of services, are home to 25,400 Australian children facing particularly significant risk.

Families are struggling, anxious and navigating fragmented and siloed systems that currently intervene too late.

The opportunity: Hubs as a proven lifeline

Hubs​ provide a trusted support system to identify developmental needs earlier, make faster connections to the right supports, relieve family anxiety and build agency, and reach children who otherwise wouldn’t access services. They provide a ready-made infrastructure for multidisciplinary practice, innovation and collaboration across Australia’s complex early years systems. ​​There are already over 470 Hubs ​in ​Australia, but many rely on short-term grants that undermine service continuity and workforce stability. 

“Hubs are a proven lifeline where disadvantage is highest,” says Emma Sydenham, Director of Early Years, SVA. “The missing piece is activation. We have the infrastructure, but inconsistent funding and policy means this network isn’t yet fully leveraged as a coherent delivery platform.”

For many families who are struggling across Australia, the benefit is life-changing. Instead of navigating a fragmented, siloed system alone, they can enter a single, trusted location where educators and health professionals collaborate around their specific needs, and they are supported to rebuild their confidence and agency.

Unlocking value from the existing service system

The report outlines a practical blueprint to transform the system into one that tailors supports depending on children’s need in different areas. Key recommendations to enable the Hub approach include: 

• Funding integration, or ‘the glue’: Stable funding for the staff and systems that coordinate care between different services.  
• Thriving Kids Innovation: Recognising Hubs as an innovation and capability-building vehicle for delivery of the new Thriving Kids initiative. They provide a ready-made ‘test and learn’ environment where families already have trust, and staff have the relational and integration skills needed for effective implementation and learning, aligning with government priorities for flexibility and value for money. 
• ACCOs as trailblazers: Prioritising early investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to deliver culturally safe, holistic care that builds on the successful integrated service model. 
• Needs-based funding: Building from the Service Delivery Price (SDP) project, reform early childhood education and care funding to include equity loadings that reflect the true cost of supporting complex family needs. 

Research found a Social Return on Investment of up to $3.50 for every $1 invested on one integrated model.

“The hub makes parents feel safe, where they can share their story with other families, build community and learn about bringing up children for the first years of their life​​,” ​said ​Victoria Browning, Service Support Coordinator at The Benevolent Society’s Labrador Early Years Centre​.​

“Child and Family Hubs, like Our Place and many others across the country, show what’s possible when services work together under one roof — earlier identification, stronger family engagement, and a more effective use of the workforce we already have. This provides an ideal foundation for Thriving Kids. Leveraging existing hubs means the system can move faster, learn quicker, and deliver earlier support where it’s needed most​,​” said ​Elfie Taylor​,​ Director Early Years at Our Place​.​

“Australia stands at a critical juncture. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape how we support our youngest citizens,” ​​continued Emma Sydenham, Director of Early Years, SVA. 

“We cannot accept a status quo where over a quarter of children in some communities start school behind. We must start recognising and activating Hubs as core national infrastructure to deliver on the Albanese Government’s early years agenda. By embedding these models now, we can turn policy intent into life-changing realities, reducing downstream crises and delivering an enduring legacy of equity for every Australian child.”

Read the full report, ‘Putting Children at the Centre: Embedding Hubs and related integrated models in our early years system and beyond’ here.

The report has been produced by SVA on behalf of the Early Childhood Hubs Working Group of the National Child and Family Hubs Network. 

ENDS

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Media Contact: 

Suzanne Kennedy 
[email protected] 

About Social Ventures Australia (SVA) 

SVA is Australia’s leading social innovation organisation. We help institutions think differently, we redesign systems, and work hand-in-hand with our partners and communities to take real action and make positive social change.  

About the Early Childhood Hubs Working Group 

SVA chairs the Early Childhood Hubs Working Group, part of the National Child and Family Hubs Network. This group brings together key stakeholders, including government representatives, philanthropy, sector leaders and Hub operators with an interest in Hubs that have an early learning focus. There are over 40 members of the group. 

About the National Child and Family Hubs Network  

Australia’s Hubs are supported by the National Child and Family Hub Network. Philanthropically funded, the Network strengthens Hub capability by generating evidence on Hub models, producing evidence-based resources such as national practice and evaluation frameworks, and building implementation capability through networking and shared learning across settings and jurisdictions.
www.childandfamilyhubs.org.au