Adolescent Health and Wellbeing

The Adolescent Health and Wellbeing team at The Kids Research Institute Australia aims to improve the health and wellbeing of young people living in Australia, with a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents.

Our team has established extensive partnerships with young people, policy makers and implementation partners in Australia and globally. This ensures we generate knowledge that reflects current needs, and that this knowledge is translated into action.

Our work addresses critical gaps in knowledge, policy and practice. One third of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population are adolescents and young people, aged 10-24 years- yet for too long these young people have been overlooked in policies and services. As a result, many young people can’t access the services and supports they need or want. This comes at a time of life when young people are forming their identity, transitioning through education and employment and perhaps starting a family. Unmet health needs duing adolescence can therefore additionally undermine future health as well as the health of the next generation.

An underlying principle of the team’s work is ensuring genuine and meaningful partnership with young people. A key project is the National Roadmap, which has established a national governance group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people to identify the needs and priorities of the nation’s young people. Our team sees the direct involvement of young people as fundamental to our work.