Traditionally, adult-focused services in fields such as drug and alcohol treatment, mental health, corrections, domestic violence, refugee resettlement, disability and emergency housing have untapped potential to improve the safety and wellbeing of Australia's most vulnerable children. Given the powerful evidence that now exists on the serious immediate and long-term risks posed to children from parental substance dependence, mental health problems and domestic violence, and the high prevalence of such problems among families involved with statutory child protection systems, it is vital to tap this potential. There are enough promising examples in most of these adult-focused service sectors to demonstrate that it is possible to respond to the parental roles of adult clients and to the needs of their children. The current policy climate in Australia is ripe for building the capacity of adult-focused services to become "child and parent sensitive". Building the knowledge base to support such models of service delivery, and to facilitate the "scaling up" of cost-effective approaches, should be a major national priority in relation to social inclusion.