{"id":1325,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1325"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","slug":"cvc2026-617","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-617\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-617 \u2013 Listening to families: Access to support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with communication needs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-617<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Listening to families: Access to support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with communication needs<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Cyrena Hunt-Madden, <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ebony Lewis,<\/strong> University of New South Wales, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alison Purcell,<\/strong> Western Sydney University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rona Macniven,<\/strong> University of New South Wales, Australia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-617 Listening to families: Access to support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Td0oSiQR_W4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background:<\/strong> Families\u2019 voices are central to understanding children\u2019s communication needs. Strong speech, language, and communication skills support children\u2019s connection to culture, community, learning, and well-being. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely to experience speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN), shaped by the ongoing impacts of colonisation and inequitable access to services. Despite the importance of early support, children\u2019s needs are often identified by parents but not met by services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong> To identify the parent-reported prevalence of SLCN in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (0\u20136 years) and to explore service gaps, barriers, and facilitators to accessing support, as reported by parents. The author team includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers with expertise in public health and speech-language pathology.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method\/approach<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> This longitudinal study analysed data for 474 children from the Footprints in Time: Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. Children were aged between six and 24 months in Wave 1, and were followed up annually across Waves 1\u20136. Quantitative analyses examined prevalence and factors associated with access to support, while qualitative content analysis explored parent-reported barriers and facilitators. Approval to access data was obtained from the Australian Department of Social Services and noted by the UNSW Human Research Ethics Committee.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Nearly half (47%) of children were identified by parents as having SLCN; however, only 48% of those identified accessed support. Parents\u2019 voices highlighted key service gaps, including limited availability, a lack of awareness of services and their benefits, and challenges navigating systems. Facilitators included recognition of need, particularly where children had additional health or developmental concerns. These findings demonstrate a disconnect between children\u2019s identified needs and access to responsive, culturally safe services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong> Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children\u2019s communication needs remain unmet, despite being recognised by families. Embedding parents\u2019 voices in service design is critical to addressing inequities and creating inclusive, accessible systems that support children to thrive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children and families:<\/strong> When families are heard, services are better able to respond to children\u2019s communication needs, supporting connection, participation, and well-being.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong> You can improve access by partnering with families, strengthening culturally responsive practice, increasing service visibility, and adopting public health approaches that prioritise prevention, early identification, and equity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, speech-language and communication needs, access to services, public health<\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG\u00a010: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cyrena Hunt-Madden, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Ebony Lewis, University of New South Wales, Australia; Alison Purcell, Western Sydney University, Australia; Rona Macniven, University of New South Wales, Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,1],"tags":[45,47],"class_list":["post-1325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-communication","category-presentations","tag-sdg-03","tag-sdg-10"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1564,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1325\/revisions\/1564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}