The Centre for Indigenous Policy Research (CIPR) has released a landmark research report examining the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people who have participated in Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC). Commissioned by the Department of Social Services and guided by an Indigenous-majority Steering Committee, this report delivers one of the most comprehensive, culturally grounded analyses of SEWB ever undertaken in Australia.

A Culturally grounded, methodologically innovative approach

This project places Indigenous knowledge systems, data sovereignty principles, and strengths-based research at the centre of its work. The analysis was guided by the holistic SEWB framework collaboratively developed by First Nations Psychologists Dr Graham Gee, Professor Pat Dudgeon and Dr Clinton Schultz, which conceptualises wellbeing across interconnected domains of body, mind, family, kinship, community, culture, Country, spirituality and ancestors.

Drawing on 14 years of LSIC data, the research integrates advanced statistical modelling—including exploratory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and longitudinal regression—with a rigorous thematic analysis of qualitative responses from Study Children/Youth and their families. This mixed-methods approach represents a methodological innovation, demonstrating how a culturally specific SEWB framework can be meaningfully tested, operationalised and extended within a large-scale longitudinal dataset.

Key aims and contributions

The project delivers new insights across five major areas:

1. Testing the alignment between LSIC data and the Gee et al. SEWB framework, showing a strong underlying factor structure that meaningfully reflects the holistic and relational nature of Indigenous wellbeing.
2. Understanding how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth conceptualise “growing up strong”, highlighting the centrality of family, culture, identity, connection to Country, and intergenerational knowledge transmission.
3. Identifying longitudinal determinants of SEWB, including protective factors such as supportive family environments, safe school climates, cultural engagement, and steady housing conditions.
4. Mapping temporal trajectories of wellbeing, illustrating patterns in emotional and behavioural development, prosocial behaviour, cultural participation, and experiences of racism across childhood and adolescence.
5. Examining the role of school environments in self-harm and suicidal behaviours, providing unique evidence on the importance of safety, belonging, and culturally safe schooling contexts.

Why this work matters

This research makes an invaluable contribution to the evidence base on Indigenous child and youth wellbeing. Importantly, it advances a holistic, culturally grounded approach to measurement that moves beyond deficit-focused indicators. The findings demonstrate the importance of strengths, relationships, identity, and culture—dimensions that have historically been absent from mainstream wellbeing metrics.

The implications are significant for governments, schools, service providers, community organisations, and for national policy frameworks including the Closing the Gap Agreement. In particular, the project provides new conceptual and empirical tools for understanding Socioeconomic Outcome 14, which seeks to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enjoy improved social and emotional wellbeing. Current measurement relies heavily on narrow indicators such as suicidality; this research highlights the need for broader, preventive, and culturally informed approaches to tracking and supporting wellbeing across the life course.

The report also reinforces the power of LSIC as an Indigenous-led longitudinal resource and provides a strong platform for transforming how SEWB is conceptualised, measured, and supported nationally. It offers clear directions for strengthening cultural determinants of wellbeing, investing in families and communities, supporting culturally safe schools, and designing policy in genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples