The Child and Youth Development Research Partnership (CYDRP) is a research partnership between the NT Government and the CCDE. The aim of the partnership is to support research and evaluation that informs child and youth wellbeing.

At the heart of the partnership, is a repository of de-identified, linked data about NT children and young people, born from 1986 onwards. The CYDRP data repository was refreshed in 2021 and the current version (Extract 3) contains information on 370,000 children and young people across 23 datasets including datasets in health, education, child protection, and youth justice. Data linkage for the repository is undertaken by SA NT DataLink, which is a dedicated research linkage facility.

Preparations are in progress for a refresh of the repository (Extract 4) which will extend the availability of data, starting in 1986 to the most recent available. The CYDRP Partnership supports the ongoing management of the CYDRP data repository by CCDE, as well as a selection of priority projects.

Expressions of interest are welcome from external parties wanting to collaborate with the CYDRP Research Team on proposals aligned with the broad aims and objectives of the partnership.

Chief investigator:
Contact information:

For further information about the project, please email

Project dates:

The program commenced in January 2017 and the current grant will conclude on 31 December 2024.

CYDRP – current projects

The following are current projects, that utilise the CYDRP data repository and have full approval for the conduct of the study. The list includes projects funded directly by the CYDRP grant as well as those from other sources. The projects are led by members of the Centre for Child Development and Education data linkage team unless otherwise stated.

Birth and early childhood development
  • Predictive modelling for developmental and educational outcomes in early childhood
  • Exposure to family violence in early childhood 
  • Maternal mental health and childhood outcomes 
  • Unintentional injury hospitalisation among NT children 
  • Estimating the population-level risk of prenatal alcohol-related harm for children
  • Trends in preterm birth in the Top End, 2013-2018 (Dr Kiarna Brown, NT Department of Health)
  • Intergenerational patterns of preterm birth (Dr Holger Unger, Menzies School of Health Research)
  • Development of a predictive risk model for NT children referred to child protection services
  • Estimating the impact of alcohol restrictions on birth and child wellbeing outcomes (Professor Stefanie Schurer, University of Sydney)
  • Seasonal patterns in birth outcomes (Ms Mary-Alice Doyle, London School of Economics)
  • The effect of heat, in utero and infancy, on childhood health and wellbeing (Ms Mary-Alice Doyle, London School of Economics)
  • Outcomes from Special Care Nursery admission (Professor Stefanie Schurer, University of Sydney
  •  Ear health surveillance and early life outcomes (Professor Amanda Leach, Menzies School of Health Research)
Middle childhood
  • From Preschool to Year 3: School engagement of NT remote children (Dr Georgie Nutton, Charles Darwin University)
  • Opportunities for early intervention in middle childhood
  • Patterns of mobility among primary school children in the Northern Territory
  • Does otitis media increase the risk of conductive hearing loss in Aboriginal children living in the Northern Territory? (Dr Jiunn-Yih Su, Menzies School of Health Research)
  • Long term impact of income management on child wellbeing outcomes (Ms Mary-Alice Doyle, London School of Economics)
Teenage years
  • Children in out-of-home care and contact with youth justice services
  • Family violence by adolescents in the NT Youth in Emergency Departments Study
  • Against the Odds: understanding the factors influencing wellbeing among Aboriginal youth (Prof Stefanie Schurer)
  • Understanding Pathways in Permanency Planning: Evaluating the impact of different out-of-home care arrangements on children’s long-term outcomes (Professor Stefanie Schurer, University of Sydney)
  • Needs and services for young people involved with youth justice services
  • Multiple outcomes in adolescence: Understanding the profile of adolescents involved with multiple services.
  • Aboriginal young people and the Northern Territory justice system: apprehension, caution, diversion, charge, and detention
Funders:

NT Government:

  • Department of the Attorney-General and Justice 
  • Department of Education 
  • NT Health 
  • Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities
  • NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services 
  • Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet
  • Department of Treasury and Finance
  1. Dadi AF, He V, Guenther J, Su J-Y, Ober R, Guthridge S. Transitional pathways through middle school for Aboriginal students in the Northern Territory of Australia.  Aust Educ Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-023-00655-3
  2. He VYF, Condon JR, Malvaso C, Williams T, Liddle L, Blagg H, Guthridge S Patterns of alleged offending among young people in the Northern Territory of Australia, 1997-2019 Aust J Soc Issues. 2023;00:1–21. http://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.275
  3. Roper L, He V,Perez-Concha O, Guthridge S (2023)  Complex early childhood experiences: characteristics of Northern Territory children across health, education and child protection data. PlosOne 2023: 18(1): e0280648. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280648
  4. He VY, Nutton G, Graham A, Hirschausen L, Su J-Y. Pathways to school success: Self-regulation and executive function, preschool attendance and early academic achievement of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in Australia’s Northern Territory. PLoS ONE 16(11): e0259857 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259857
  5. Leckning B, Condon JC, Das SK,He V, Hirvonen T, Guthridge S (2023).  Mental health-related hospitalisations associated with patterns of child protection and youth justice involvement during adolescence: a retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data from the Northern Territory of Australia Child Youth Serv Rev 2023;145:106771 doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106771
  6. Moore S. Condon JR, He VYF, Stothers K, Williams T, Guthridge S. (2022). The extent of violence inflicted on adolescent Aboriginal girls in the Northern Territory.  BMC Public Health 2022;22:1627 doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13982-4
  7. He VY, Leckning B, Malvaso C, Williams T, Liddle L, Guthridge S. (2021) Opportunities for prevention: A data-linkage study to inform a public health response to youth offending in the Northern Territory, Australia BMC Public Health 2021;21:1600. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11645-4
  8. Leckning, B., He, V., Condon, J. R., Hirvonen, T., Milroy, H., & Guthridge, S. (2021). Patterns of child protection service involvement by Aboriginal children associated with a higher risk of self-harm in adolescence: A retrospective population cohort study using linked administrative data. Child abuse & neglect, 113, 104931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.104931
  9. Su, J., Guthridge, S., He, V., Howard, D., & Leach, A. (2020). The impact of hearing impairment on early academic achievement in Aboriginal children living in remote Australia: a data linkage study. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09620-6
  10. Su, J., Guthridge, S., He, V., Howard, D., & Leach, A. (2020). Impact of hearing impairment on early childhood development in Australian Aboriginal children: A data linkage study. Journal Of Paediatrics And Child Health, 56(10), 1597-1606. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15044
  11. Su, J., He, V., Guthridge, S., & Silburn, S. (2020). The Impact of Hearing Impairment on the Life Trajectories of Aboriginal Children in Remote Australia: Protocol for the Hearing Loss in Kids Project. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(1), e15464. https://doi.org/10.2196/15464
  12. Su, J., He, V., Guthridge, S., Howard, D., Leach, A., & Silburn, S. (2019). The impact of hearing impairment on Aboriginal children’s school attendance in remote Northern Territory: a data linkage study. Australian And New Zealand Journal Of Public Health, 43(6), 544-550. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12948
  13. He, V., Su, J., Guthridge, S., Malvaso, C., Howard, D., Williams, T., & Leach, A. (2019). Hearing and justice: The link between hearing impairment in early childhood and youth offending in Aboriginal children living in remote communities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Health & Justice, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-019-0097-6
  14. He, V., Guthridge, S., Su, J., Howard, D., Stothers, K., & Leach, A. (2020). The link between hearing impairment and child maltreatment among Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory of Australia: is there an opportunity for a public health approach in child protection?. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8456-8
  15. Leckning, B., Robinson, G., Guthridge, S., & He, V. (2019). Exploring risk profiles of young people with self-harm hospital admissions in the Northern Territory. Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research.
  16. He, V.,  Guthridge, S., & Leckning, S. (2019). From Birth to Five: A multiagency data-linkage study to inform a public health response to child protection in the Northern Territory. Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research.
  17. He, V.,  Guthridge, S., & Leckning, S. (2019). Protection and Justice: A study of the crossover of Northern Territory children between two services. Darwin: Menzies School of Health Research.
  18. McHugh, L., Andrews, R., Leckning, B., Snelling, T., & Binks, M. (2019). Baseline incidence of adverse birth outcomes and infant influenza and pertussis hospitalisations prior to the introduction of influenza and pertussis vaccination in pregnancy: a data linkage study of 78 382 mother–infant pairs, Northern Territory, Australia, 1994–2015. Epidemiology And Infection, 147. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0950268819001171