A bad childhood doesn't determine someone's life.

For all children, whatever their background, the first five years are crucial when it comes to developing strong cognitive skills and a healthy social and emotional balance in life. Research shows that issues such as family violence, obesity, poor mental health and criminal behaviours often stem from negative early childhood experiences.

That’s why early intervention and prevention is so important.

Acting early to tackle domestic issues and provide support to struggling families can turn lives around and change a family’s future for the better.

There is support available for young families, but often the difficulty is identifying when someone needs help and finding the best way to help them.

In this video, Savoy Martenstyn from The Benevolent Society, shares her advice about how young families can find the support they need, and why it’s so important for them to do so.

Take a look:

Having loving parents who play with you, read to you and provide stimulating early learning opportunities builds vital neural pathways that set you up well to be able to make friends, concentrate at school and cope well with everyday life.

But many children in Australia have parents who can’t provide this kind of supportive environment – usually because they themselves grew up without it. It’s hard to know how to be a good parent if you’ve never experienced it. 

Helping every parent to be the best mum and dad they can be will help the current generation of children get the best out of life. It will help them to do well at school, make friends, get and keep a job and stay out of serious trouble.

Join The Benevolent Society’s Acting Early campaign to help all Australian children develop their potential and contribute positively to our shared community.