The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (Haslam et al., 2023) found that 62.2% of the Australian population have experienced childhood maltreatment inclusive of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic and family violence, with 25.4% of young people aged between 16 and 24 experiencing three to five types of maltreatment. This landmark study highlights the proliferation of maltreatment, trauma, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) across the Australian population (Cowgill & Knol, 2023; Haslam et al., 2023; Portwood et al., 2023). The Australian Child Maltreatment Study’s findings of young people experiencing multiple ACEs during childhood significantly contributes to the impact of the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and outcomes across the lifespan (Haslam et al., 2023; Islam, 2024; Likhar et al., 2022; Watts & Hodgson, 2023). There are numerous SDH including education, employment, food security, access to housing, structural conflict, and working life conditions.
This essay will critically examine the intersection of ACEs with the specific SDH relating to Early Childhood Development (ECD) and social inclusion for children, discussing the longer-term impacts on the health and wellbeing of non-Indigenous people as compared to First Nations people in Australia. It will also discuss the importance of creating opportunities for Protective and Compensatory Experiences and prosocial place-based experiences, for social inclusion and supporting recovery from ACEs for First Nations children in the context of their families and communities (Karatekin et al., 2023). Finally, this essay will discuss the role of social workers in co-creating the conditions for the provision of Protective and Compensatory Experiences through their practice with First Nations children, families, and communities, working towards lifelong positive health outcomes (Atikison, 2002; Karatekin et al., 2023; Meldrum et al., 2022).
