During the first 1000 days of life (conception to 2 years), our brains develop more rapidly than at any other time, laying the foundation for ongoing health and development. Financial hardship can disrupt this foundational period and undermine the health and wellbeing of children and families. In Australia, one in three families with young children cannot afford essentials such as food, housing or healthcare. Parents who experience financial hardship report triple the levels of poor mental health. This can affect parenting, the child-parent relationship, and the home learning environment. Strengthening the financial security of families can enhance the environments that help children to thrive.
Financial counselling services are funded by state and federal governments, and freely available in the community. They are designed to help clients access services and entitlements, and support those experiencing financial hardship and distress. Healthier Wealthier Families (HWF) works to connect financial counselling services with the community-based Child and Family Health Nursing Services (abbreviated throughout as CFHS, and also known as CaFHS, CHaPS, and Maternal and Child Health). This is an early intervention model whereby CFHS practitioners start asking families about experiences commonly related to financial hardship. This includes whether they have been able to afford essential items in the last month (such as food, rent/mortgage payments, healthcare), or if they have paid work. By identifying financial challenges early, HWF works to improve economic and wellbeing outcomes for families, and benefit parenting, child-parent relationships and the home environment.
