About this resource
Footprints in Time is the name given to the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, an initiative of the Australian Government. It is the most comprehensive source of longitudinal information on early childhood development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It shows how early childhood experiences can impact on later life and provides policy makers with information about ‘what matters’ and ‘what works’ for producing improved Indigenous outcomes.
This report is the fifth in a series of reports produced for each wave of the data collection. The report provides a selection of research findings from wave 5. Readers may wish to refer to the previous reports for more detailed information about the developmental phase of the study and for results from the first four waves.
- Chair’s foreword
- Overview
- Introduction to this report
Part A—Wave 5 update
- It’s a child’s life
- [DOCX 63KB]
- [PDF 147KB]
- Learning new skills
- Sleep
- Dental health
- Peers and friends
- Children share their feelings
- Favourite animals and pets
- Family and social support
- Children at play
- Family life
- [DOCX 232KB]
- [PDF 678KB]
- Satisfaction with life
- Parenting efficacy
- Qualities valued by Indigenous primary carers
- Housing and mobility
- Housing conditions
- Major life events
- Culture and community
- Working for a better future
- Parental engagement in child’s learning and development
- School enrolment and attendance
- Keeping children at school—factors affecting attendance and children’s academic achievement
- What can Footprints in Time tell us about transition to school?
- References for part A
Part B—Feature articles
- Longitudinal patterns of language use, diversity, support, and competence
- Turning back the tide of Indigenous language loss: children to the rescue?
- The impact of multiple disadvantage on children’s social and emotional difficulties
- Multiple disadvantage and major life events
- How do fathers affect the health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Footprints in Time?
- The effect of maternal age at first birth on vocabulary and social and emotional outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- Acknowledgements
Part C – Appendices
- Appendix A—Background to the study
- Appendix B—Study terminology and definitions
- Appendix C—Wave 5 content and demographics
- Appendix D—Governance of the study
- Access to data and research