The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia

Research Findings: Australian state and federal governments have increasingly recognized early childhood as a critical period for investing in interventions. At the same time, a number of organizational, structural, and environmental responses have been put in place to build the capacity of communit...

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Main Authors: Goldfeld, S., Sayers, M., Brinkman, Sally, Silburn, Sven, Oberklaid, F.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 2009
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33630
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author Goldfeld, S.
Sayers, M.
Brinkman, Sally
Silburn, Sven
Oberklaid, F.
author_facet Goldfeld, S.
Sayers, M.
Brinkman, Sally
Silburn, Sven
Oberklaid, F.
author_sort Goldfeld, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Research Findings: Australian state and federal governments have increasingly recognized early childhood as a critical period for investing in interventions. At the same time, a number of organizational, structural, and environmental responses have been put in place to build the capacity of communities to better support children and their families. It was in this policy environment of increasing investment in community- level interventions to promote outcomes for children that the need emerged in Australia for a population measure of early childhood development. This article outlines some of the process and policy challenges associated with the introduction and adaptation of a population measure of early child development—the Early Development Instrument (EDI)—by Australian communities, which culminated in its adoption as a national measure of early childhood development in 2008. It highlights the need to develop both a strategic and psychometric approach to successfully implement any measure that requires community-wide participation. Practice or Policy: There were particular challenges to embedding the AEDI, and therefore data about early childhood developmental outcomes, within policy processes. These are discussed in terms of the adaptation and validation process in Australia, the development of novel methods of data collection for national implementation, the benefits of cross-national comparisons, and the policy impact and environment that has been necessary for longer term sustainability.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-336302017-09-13T16:08:12Z The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia Goldfeld, S. Sayers, M. Brinkman, Sally Silburn, Sven Oberklaid, F. Research Findings: Australian state and federal governments have increasingly recognized early childhood as a critical period for investing in interventions. At the same time, a number of organizational, structural, and environmental responses have been put in place to build the capacity of communities to better support children and their families. It was in this policy environment of increasing investment in community- level interventions to promote outcomes for children that the need emerged in Australia for a population measure of early childhood development. This article outlines some of the process and policy challenges associated with the introduction and adaptation of a population measure of early child development—the Early Development Instrument (EDI)—by Australian communities, which culminated in its adoption as a national measure of early childhood development in 2008. It highlights the need to develop both a strategic and psychometric approach to successfully implement any measure that requires community-wide participation. Practice or Policy: There were particular challenges to embedding the AEDI, and therefore data about early childhood developmental outcomes, within policy processes. These are discussed in terms of the adaptation and validation process in Australia, the development of novel methods of data collection for national implementation, the benefits of cross-national comparisons, and the policy impact and environment that has been necessary for longer term sustainability. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33630 10.1080/10409280903375800 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates restricted
spellingShingle Goldfeld, S.
Sayers, M.
Brinkman, Sally
Silburn, Sven
Oberklaid, F.
The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title_full The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title_fullStr The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title_full_unstemmed The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title_short The Process and Policy Challenges of Adapting and Implementing the Early Development Instrument in Australia
title_sort process and policy challenges of adapting and implementing the early development instrument in australia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/33630