Five ways to keep kids safe in Australia’s health system
September 19, 2025
One in five Australians is a child, but too often kids’ healthcare is inconsistent, fragmented, and not designed with their needs front and centre.
Our research shows that even in a well-resourced country like Australia, we’re not hitting the mark.
The CareTrack Kids study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found children received care consistent with clinical guidelines only about 60% of the time. In other words, four out of every 10 healthcare encounters fell short of best practice. That’s not good enough.
At the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, we’re leading the National Paediatric Applied Research Translation Initiative, which works with clinicians, families, and policymakers to close these gaps. Based on this work, here are five priorities for keeping kids safe in our health system.
- The right care, every time
Every child deserves care based on the best available evidence – regardless of postcode or provider. Australia has national standards, designed for paediatric care in hospitals and the community, which identify areas requiring special consideration by health service organisations providing care for children. Yet, the data show wide variation in treatment, particularly for our most vulnerable children. Thus, Australian healthcare needs accountability and support for clinicians so safe, high-quality care is the norm, not the exception.
- Design care around children and families
Too often, health services treat children as “small adults". But children have unique developmental, social and emotional needs. Despite overall positive ratings of paediatric care in Australia, there is a wide variation in the consumer experience, particularly for parents. Services must adapt to the needs of both children and their family unit, with family-centred models that empower parents and carers in decisions about treatment.
- Prevent problems before they escalate
From vaccination to obesity prevention to mental health support, early intervention saves lives and money. However, the focus on preventive care is falling in concerning ways; in the last five years, childhood vaccination rates have consistently fallen for the first time in two decades. Shifting investment from hospital treatment to preventive and community services would reduce avoidable harm and give kids a healthier start in life.
- Close the equity gap
Children in rural areas and disadvantaged communities face bigger barriers to safe care. Indigenous children, in particular, continue to experience poorer outcomes, and the uptake of culturally safe models care is slow. Tackling inequity requires better access, culturally safe care and smart use of digital health to reach families wherever they live.
- Build a learning health system
Australia needs a health system that constantly learns – using real-world, routinely collected data to identify gaps, test solutions and spread what works. That’s the approach of our national paediatric initiative, N-PARTI, and it represents the future of safer care for children.
Why it matters
Keeping children safe in healthcare isn’t only about preventing harm. It’s about giving every child the best chance to thrive, setting them up for a lifetime of health.
The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.