Our study followed Indigenous children for 15 years to understand what helps them thrive

Our new report follows the lives of around 1,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the largest study of its kind. We wanted to understand what helps them thrive as they grow up.

For more than 15 years, the Footprints in Time study has looked at the experiences of Indigenous children growing up from early childhood. We are now able to track what this means for them later in life.

This provides powerful evidence that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are growing up strong and resilient in many aspects of life. Yet it also highlights systemic barriers that could hold them back.

Our study

Since 2008, Indigenous children, families and teachers have shared their stories and experiences each year as part of the Footprints in Time study. The information used in the latest report was collected between 2008 and 2021.

This study follows the development Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families living in cities, regional towns and remote communities across Australia. It seeks to identify what helps Indigenous children thrive.

The importance of culture

One of the clearest messages from the report is the centrality of culture to wellbeing.

By the time they reached school, three in four children (76%) had attended an Indigenous cultural event, about (54%) had learned arts such as painting or dance, and about half (51%) had engaged in practices like fishing or hunting.

Children who took part in these cultural activities consistently showed stronger social and emotional wellbeing than those who hadn’t. This included having a positive outlook, healthy body, strong relationships, higher confidence and greater resilience as they moved through school.

Opportunities to learn an Indigenous language

The report shows the opportunity to speak and learn an Indigenous language during early childhood and the first years of school, helps children have stronger social-emotional wellbeing. This includes stronger connections to identity and belonging into their teenage years.

In very remote areas, more than 70% of children spoke an Indigenous language, while fewer than 10% of children in cities did so.

In cities and regional centres, where cultural opportunities are fewer, parents and communities were worried children were missing out on these protective factors. So the issue is not whether children value culture, but whether systems make space for it.

The crucial role of families

Families and parents play an equally crucial role.

When parents reported high levels of wellbeing and resilience, their children were more likely to achieve in literacy and numeracy, to enjoy better health, and to experience fewer difficulties as teenagers.

Early cultural experiences, like connection to Country and speaking an Indigenous language, were also linked with stronger social and emotional wellbeing as children grow into middle childhood and adolescence.

So investing in families through financial support, cultural support, community services, and accessible health care is ultimately an investment in children’s futures.

Read more: Indigenous students want to finish Year 12. They need equal support and resources from schools to do this

A growing digital divide

The report also highlights one of the most pressing issues facing Indigenous young people today: digital inequality.

When asked in 2011 and 2013, only 37% of children in the study were using the internet at home. In major cities, just over half (56%) had access, but in very remote areas, only 8% had access.

Children who had internet access early in life went on to show stronger reading comprehension, better problem-solving skills, and more confidence with technology in adolescence. They were also more likely to use digital tools safely and effectively.

This matters because digital access was closely tied to income and education. Children from higher income households, or where parents had completed Year 12, were far more likely to be online. Those who stood to benefit most from digital learning opportunities were often the least likely to have access.

Early experiences set the stage

The findings show us how what happens before school has lasting impacts.

Children who attended preschool or playgroup, or whose parents engaged in early learning at home, had stronger vocabularies and self control when they started school.

When we looked at children who identified with their Mob (or Mobs) before starting school, compared to those who didn’t, we found they were more likely to have:

• stronger social and emotional wellbeing during both middle childhood and adolescence

• stronger connection to culture, Country, Ancestors and spirit as they grew into middle childhood and adolescence.

These children also consistently achieved higher literacy and numeracy results in Year 5, stayed more engaged in learning during adolescence, and demonstrated stronger planning and memory skills in later years.

This confirms what many parents and educators already know, investment in the early years pays off, not just in academic results but in confidence, resilience and wellbeing.

Listening to children

Perhaps the most moving part of the report is what children themselves say about “growing up strong”. This includes a series of poems about growing up strong as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young person, developed using direct quotes from parents and young people.

Being healthy and making good decisions.

Respect my Elders and culture.

Being resilient and persistent. Getting better at something.

You have learnt how to be a good person and be safe. Strong and brave

Children understand that kindness, persistence and cultural respect are the foundations of a good life. Our challenge is to ensure systems and structures reflect and support this wisdom.

Why this matters

Our report is not just about statistics. It shows what families, communities, and children are already doing to build strong futures.

It also shows where governments and education systems must do more, embedding culture and language in early learning, tackling racism in schools, supporting families, resourcing communities and bridging the digital divide.