This report examines the multiple facets of children’s lives that influence their wellbeing, including their family characteristics and their experiences of the broader social environment. Children’s early development is an important precursor for their outcomes in later childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Children’s families form the predominant environment in which early development takes place, and characteristics of their families influence many aspects of their lives. Their experiences within the broader environmental context also interact with their family environments and their developmental outcomes to influence their wellbeing.

Using data from children aged 0–9 years, chapters in the report make use of the study’s longitudinal nature to investigate children’s experiences over time. This provides insight into the experience of prolonged disadvantage and the critical points of transition in children’s lives. Sections of the report examine how experiences and developmental outcomes vary for different demographic groups of children, including children from different socioeconomic backgrounds and different family structures.