Children’s health is an important focus for NHMRC. Our work in this area includes specific guidelines and recommendations that support evidence-based child care, and research into other potential programs and benefits.
During its 2012-15 triennium, NHMRC’s former Prevention and Community Health Committee (PCHC) identified mental health as a key project area, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of parenting practices and their role in promoting social and emotional health and wellbeing in children and later on as adults.
NHMRC established the Mental Health and Parenting Working Committee (the Committee) to oversee this work and guide the development of an NHMRC Report on the Evidence on promoting the social and emotional development and wellbeing of infants.
The NHMRC Report on the Evidence: promoting social and emotional development and wellbeing of infants in pregnancy and the first year of life (Report on the Evidence):
- summarises the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of 51 systematic reviews that was commissioned by NHMRC
- provides a Working Committee’s assessment and interpretation of the evidence in the Australian context through its application of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach
- is designed for governments and other policy makers, researchers and service providers
- aims to facilitate the development of evidence-based policy in Australia.
The NHMRC Plain Language Summary: the evidence on promoting social and emotional development and wellbeing of infants in pregnancy and the first year of life has also been developed to provide an easy to read and condensed resource for stakeholders.
The Administrative Report provides a brief summary of the processes underpinning the evidence evaluation and development of the Report on the Evidence.
The Evidence Evaluation Report and Technical Report provide further information about the body of evidence underpinning the Report on the Evidence.
