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Human Development and Community Wellbeing

The Human Development and Community Wellbeing Team conducts research across the lifespan from conception, childhood, and youth to adulthood and the social determinants that impact and influence outcomes. The team’s focus is on the broader life course of individuals and communities within the family, school, and online environments, and includes economic evaluation of programs and outcomes.

The Human Development and Community Wellbeing team, led by Associate Professor Francis Mitrou, has wide-ranging experience in population child development, economics, psychology, health promotion, education, implementation science, public health, policy development, digital health, neurodiversity, developmental psychopathology, communications science, and mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) research. 

The team has an extensive network of partners and collaborators across public, non-government and philanthropic agencies and broad collective experience in the research and tertiary education sectors.

Team and Funding Highlights 

  • Team Leader A/Prof Francis Mitrou was awarded a five-year Stan Perron Foundation People Fellowship 2024-2028 titled: Preventing deep and persistent disadvantage, reducing mental health problems in young people, and improving the health, education, community and justice outcomes for Aboriginal children and families in Western Australia. This is based around his work across the NHMRC Synergy and ARC Life Course Centre projects, plus other work with WA Mental Health Commission. This prestigious fellowship provides vital salary support for A/Prof Mitrou allowing for his continued leadership of the valuable work of the Human Development and Community Wellbeing Team.
  • An innovative and impactful three-year research partnership between Pilbara Minerals and Senior Research Fellow Dr Vincent Mancini has been established to support the mental health and wellbeing of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers and their families. The research will aim to understand the impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole FIFO family – the employees, their partners, and children. This will inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program to support the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO families.
  • In a collaboration between Cancer Council WA, and The Kids Research Institute Australia, Senior Research Officer Dr Robyn Johnston’s SunSmart messaging research aims to identify relevant and effective strategies to promote sun-protective behaviours in young West Australians aged 14-24 years. Input and guidance from young people will be prioritised in the development of messaging and delivery strategies. 
  • Team Leader A/Prof Francis Mitrou holds a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Synergy Grant as Lead Investigator, with a 5-year, $5m project titled: “Improving Aboriginal health by understanding the influence of early life environments and contacts with health and social service systems over time and across generations.” (NHMRC Synergy Grant 2023-28. GNT2018970). The Synergy scheme represents the pinnacle of the NHMRC’s grants roster. The project involves a team of 20 Chief and Associate Investigators including six First Nations Investigators, with governance provided by an Aboriginal Steering Committee. The project is based around the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey linked to multiple WA Government administrative datasets, is the culmination of many years of planning and effort. 
  • The award-winning Beacon App, funded by Dolly’s Dream, supports parents to mediate their children’s digital technology use. Funding from Dolly’s Dream supports several Human Development and Community Wellbeing staff to assist with development and maintenance of the Beacon App.
  • In 2023 the Department of Home Affairs launched the results of an evaluation of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), completed over 4 years in partnership with the ARC Life Course Centre and The Kids Research Institute Australia. This was primarily the work of Dr Ha Nguyen and A/Prof Mitrou, with input from Home Affairs and the Life Course Centre
  • Over the last three years, Leanne Fried and the SEW – Arts research team have received approximately $500,000 in funding from Healthway to develop a resource to build the capacity of arts organisations to promote young people’s social and emotional wellbeing. The resource has been embraced by arts organisations who not only have co-developed and advised on its development but have also been involved in piloting and adapting it for use with a variety of populations.

ARC Life Course Centre projects

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Life Course Centre or LCC) is investigating the critical factors underlying disadvantage to provide life-changing solutions for policy and service delivery. We aim to identify the drivers of disadvantage, characterised by the spread of social and economic poverty within families and across generations, and to develop innovative solutions to reduce disadvantage

The Life Course Centre is a national centre funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence Scheme. Hosted through the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia is one of the collaborating Universities that comprise the centre. Staff at the Telethon Kids Institute and UWA participate in a range of funded projects with the Life Course Centre.

Team leader

Program Head, Population Health, and Team Head, Human Development and Community Wellbeing

Team members (25)

Program Manager

Kate Erceg
Kate Erceg

BA (Human Geography and Urban Planning)

Program Coordinator, ARC Life Course Centre

Senior Research Fellow

Sarah Johnson
Sarah Johnson

BA, PostGradDip; PhD

Senior Research Fellow

Senior Research Officer

Aboriginal Community Engagement Coordinator

Vincent Mancini
Vincent Mancini

PhD (Clinical Psychology)

Senior Research Fellow

Thom Nevill
Thom Nevill

BA(Hons), PhD

Research officer

Ezra Kneebone
Ezra Kneebone

BSc, GradDipRepSc

Research Officer

Lynne Millar
Lynne Millar

BA(Psych honours) PhD

Senior Research Fellow

Renee Teal
Renee Teal

BHlthSc(hons), PhD

Senior Research Officer

Patricia Lewis
Patricia Lewis

BA (Hons), MPH

Research Assistant

Jade Bondonno
Jade Bondonno

BPsych (Hon)

Research Assistant

Hannah House
Hannah House

BComm(hons), MPH

Research Assistant

Emma Charlton
Emma Charlton

BHSc (Food and Nutrition)

Research Assistant

Leanne Fried
Leanne Fried

BSc DipEd MSpEd EdD

Senior Research Fellow

Project Coordinator

Robyn Johnston
Robyn Johnston

BSc, Post Grad Dip, PhD

Senior Research Officer

Research Assistant

Erin Erceg
Erin Erceg

BA (Education)

Project Manager, Friendly Schools

Joanne Readman
Joanne Readman

BSc, Dip Ed

Project Assistant

Ramya Sridhar

Ramya Sridhar

Project Officer

ARC Life Course Centre projects

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Life Course Centre or LCC) is investigating the critical factors underlying disadvantage to provide life-changing solutions for policy and service delivery. We aim to identify the drivers of disadvantage, characterised by the spread of social and economic poverty within families and across generations, and to develop innovative solutions to reduce disadvantage

The Life Course Centre is a national centre funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence Scheme. Hosted through the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia is one of the collaborating Universities that comprise the centre. Staff at The Kids Research Institute Australia and UWA participate in a range of funded projects with the Life Course Centre.

Reports and Findings

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Pathways of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Peer Bullying in Children and Youth: A Scoping Review

Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear. 

Diet culture on TikTok: a descriptive content analysis

To investigate how dieting is portrayed on TikTok and the potential implications for public health considering the effect of diet culture on eating disorders amongst young people.  

Risk and protective factors of youth crime: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted on the risk and protective factors of youth crime. This study aims to consolidate this evidence using an umbrella review methodology.

Development of a Novel Mobile Health App to Empower Young People With Type 1 Diabetes to Exercise Safely: Co-Design Approach

Blood glucose management around exercise is challenging for youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Previous research has indicated interventions including decision-support aids to better support youth to effectively contextualize blood glucose results and take appropriate action to optimize glucose levels during and after exercise. Mobile health (mHealth) apps help deliver health behavior interventions to youth with T1D, given the use of technology for glucose monitoring, insulin dosing, and carbohydrate counting.

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Featured Reports

Engaging, supporting and working with children and families in Tasmania’s Child and Family Centres

tas-cfc-evaluation-report-web.pdf Read more

The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents

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Young Minds Matter Overview

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Parenting & Families videos